Definition
Leviathan Governance is an authoritarian model of rule where the state prioritizes absolute power, stability, and hard-power deterrence over constitutionalism and the rule of law. In the context of modern China under Xi Jinping, it describes a regime that “eats bitterness” to cultivate the strength necessary for survival in a perceived chaotic and dangerous world.
Why It Matters
The alternative to social order is the “war of all against all.” Leviathan governance represents the essential trade-off: yielding individual power to a central authority in exchange for the stability and security needed for civilization to flourish.
Core Concepts
- Founders as Rulers: Authoritarian leaders who behave as “founders” or “owners” of their nations, with their personal fates and fortunes deeply intertwined with state survival.
- The Cultural Revolution Shadow: The formative influence of social upheaval and persecution (e.g., Xi Jinping living in a cave, his sister’s death) leading to a rejection of Western-style liberalism in favor of a “Leviathan” state.
- Hard Power Necessity: The belief that survival in the The Software Century requires the cultivation of superior AI capabilities for the battlefield and pervasive surveillance (e.g., facial recognition, drone swarms).
- Adversarial Curiosity: The deep investigation into the psychology, CIVILIZATION, and civilizing constraints of opponents (e.g., Xi’s reading of Thoreau, Whitman, and Hemingway) to better navigate geopolitical competition.
- Davos Consensus Defiance: Rejecting the idea that economic integration alone will prevent military escalation; maintaining the “stick” as the primary guarantor of rules.