Absolutism- yay or nay?

Absolutism was becoming a more popular form of government after the Middle Ages. Kings rules "by divine right," meaning that why were responsible to God alone. Kings had full power and authority. In France, the power of the king and of the bureaucracy expanded, but lacked the idea of the rule of law. Some believed that individual power had to be sacrificed for the safety of the state. Others believed that all of this power in the hands of such a minority could possibly lead to corruption.

Thomas Hobbes believed that absolutism was necessary in order for a nation to succeed. If every individual in a nation had unique opinions and beliefs, they would each have hundreds of enemies. They would have to fight these enemies on their own, with no one to support them because no one had the same exact beliefs. Hobbes believed that in order to have security, each citizen must give up their right to assembly to the king, who will act on their behalf. Individuals on their own, he believed, tended toward evil.

Next up was Bishop Jacques Benigne Bossuet, who wrote Political Treatise. He agreed with absolutism in that the right of rule comes from God and kings must use that power well and not abuse it. He saw the king as the intermediary between God and the people.  Because the king is a representative of God, it is okay to put your faith in him. Citizens have no reason to fear the king unless they have done something wrong. If they ever go against the king, they not only have him to fear but also the fury of God.

Cardinal Richelieu weighed in here too with his piece, Political Testament. When he was elected to the king's Council, he realized that a lot of the nobles were only working for their own benefit, not the king's. This diminished the overall authority of the king and therefore the effectiveness of his rule. Individual interests were were put above the best interest of the state. Richelieu set out to change this and promised the king that he would bring the control of the state back to him. He was a believer in absolutism because the nobles on the council were corrupting the power of the state. It is best to give all power to the king, where it will not be tarnished and used for personal gain.

Duc de Saint-Simon brought a new perspective to the table. He noticed that Louis XIV above all else, loved being flattered. Because of this, the men in his court were able to manipulate his ego in order to get what they wanted. Louis also focused too much on the details instead of on the big picture. Through suppression, he angered many of the people and produced a feeling of resentment towards him. But mostly, Simon focused on Louis' court as the root of the problem. The court was a tool for absolutist rule. The nobles were too concerned with impressing the king and sabotaging each other behind the scenes than with working as a unit. As Becky said, "the nobles need to either live together or die alone."
In this way, Simon thought that absolutism was not a perfect system. Although he did not give it a completely negative assessment, he was able to point out more than one flaw in it.