Ed Satalia

State College

In 1651, the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes published “Leviathan,” in which he argued that a government grounded in absolute authoritarianism, with an associated loss of individual freedoms, was essential to guarantee a stable and safe society.

The opposite belief was elegantly stated by Benjamin Franklin in 1755: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” (The uppercase letters appear in the original Franklin writing.) Franklin’s quote is sometimes modified to be “Those who cede liberty in exchange for safety will soon have neither.”

In the twentieth century, particularly in Nazi Germany, much of the population was convinced to forfeit individual freedom to the government under the belief that they’d receive financial and physical protection in return. A similar model arose in Mussolini’s Italy and Franco’s Spain. America trusted Franklin, and resisted the temptation.

At least until now.

The upcoming presidential election presents us with a stark choice: the philosophy of Hobbes, as now restated by the MAGA Republicans, or the philosophy of Franklin. Polling reveals that a substantial number of voters are ready to sacrifice at least some of their traditional American freedoms to an authoritarian government led by Donald Trump in the hope of obtaining an ambiguous increase in safety and comfort. “Give us unrestrained authority, and we will make America great again.”

If Trump wins, God forbid, most MAGA Republicans will quickly realize that life isn’t what they fantasized American authoritarianism would be!