Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, Chapter 25 summary

What happens

1. The speaker distinguishes commands from counsel by whose benefit supplies the reason for acting, rather than by the form of words.
2. Requested advice cannot fairly bring punishment from its recipient, but advising subjects to break laws remains punishable.
3. Exhortation and dissuasion press advice through passion and rhetoric, exposing the adviser’s private interests.
4. Scriptural examples distinguish obedience owed to God from advice justified by the listener’s own benefit.
5. Good counselors need compatible interests, clear reasoning, specialized knowledge, and access to relevant state information.
6. Separate consultation allows scrutiny and secrecy, while assemblies encourage conformity, emotional persuasion, delay, and conflicting interests.

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