Leviathan: An Interactive Exploration

A Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Social Contract Theory

Click Here to Play the Simulation

Overview

This project is an interactive, browser-based simulation of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. It was designed to bridge the gap between Political Philosophy and Computer Science students. It models the "State of Nature" as a system of variables, allowing students to experiment with parameters like "Mistrust," "Resource Distribution," and "Sovereign Power" to observe the algorithmic emergence of social stability or violence.

Pedagogical Goals

• For Philosophy Students: To visualize the systemic fragility of the "State of Nature" and the logical necessity of the Sovereign.
• For Computer Science Students: To treat ethical theories as optimization problems, understanding how variable constraints influence macro-social outcomes.

Technical Implementation

• Core Logic: JavaScript (ES6+) modeling state transitions based on Hobbesian game theory.
• Visualization: Chart.js for real-time data rendering of "Social Stability" vs. "Violence."
• Simulation Engine: A custom step-function (runSimulationStep) that calculates stability coefficients based on weighted role modifiers.

Features

• Dynamic Role-Playing: Switch between Hobbesian, Lockean, and Rousseauian parameters.
• Moral Dilemma Engine: A specialized function (presentDilemma) that forces users to trade "Liberty" for "Security," simulating the foundational trade-off of the Social Contract.