One of the most important foundations of Hobbes political philosophy is his reasoning for the importance of government. Hobbes argues that without the presence of government human life would be unbearable, in fact he even goes as far as to say that without government we would live a life of everlasting war with one another. In this paper I will support Hobbes’ claims as to why government is vital, I will also compare Hobbes’ description of the state of nature to the state of the world today.
Hobbes believes that in the state of nature there is a perpetual war of all against all. This perpetual state of war is driven by felicity, the continual success of satisfying human desires. According to Hobbes humans are driven by desires; humans naturally seek that which will benefit them. “There is no such thing as perpetual tranquility of mind while we live here; because life itself is but Motion and can never be without Desire” (Leviathan 129-30). Humans are naturally concerned with themselves, and most importantly with self-preservation. However, Hobbes believes that in a state of nature that which is required for self-preservation will be limited. For that reason there is no such thing as trust in the state of nature. Under these conditions it is rational to believe that whatever you are seeking others are seeking as well. Hobbes argues the state of nature is not violent because humans are cruel, but rather because humans are seeking defense for their preservation (Wolff 12). While people may not always be fighting in the state of nature there is always anticipation for conflict. Since everyone is uncertain about their safety, they are required to fight, as a result all others are also logically required to fight. Hobbes states t...
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...unavoidable circumstance for human beings because collective rationality is also available. The only problem with collective rationality is that humans tend to stray from collective rational behavior in order to pursue individual ambition. Agreements are insignificant in the state of nature since there is no guarantee that humans will act as promised. However, Hobbes suggest that a solution to this is a sovereign who will enact strict penalties against anyone who violates these laws.
Overall Hobbes believes that a state without government is a state fueled with distrust and war, where people will fight for power, gain, safety and reputation. In the state of nature life is a self-propelling war powered by fear. ThSe only way to reach a state of peace, according to Hobbes is to work in unity under a sovereign who will punish those who stray from the Laws of Nature.
Hobbes views human nature as the war of each man against each man. For Hobbes, the essence of human nature can be found when we consider how man acts apart from any government or order. Hobbes describes the world as “a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man.” (Hobbes mp. 186) In such a world, there are “no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” (Hobbes mp. 186) Hobbes believes that laws are what regulate us from acting in the same way now. He evidences that our nature is this way by citing that we continue to lock our doors for fear of theft or harm. Hobbes gives a good argument which is in line with what we know of survivalism, and evidences his claim well. Hobbes claims that man is never happy in having company, unless that company is utterly dominated. He says, “men have no pleasure, (but on the contrary a great dea...
Hobbes theorizes what humanity would be like in the state of nature, “where every man is enemy to every man”. The state of nature is also a state of war because without the security that comes from the mutual exchange of human rights, every human is essentially living in fear of everyone else. There would be no laws to
Thus, Hobbes asserts that societies are not natural and that men are not social and/or political animal. He argues that political communities and states are not natural. The state, according to Hobbes, is just a way for men to live with other men and escape a state of nature in which he lives in perpetual fear of death. Thus, the state of nature is one of extreme individualism. Hobbes argues that all men are equal in the way that any man can kill another man. There is a war for the acquisition of limited resources and since all men are considered equal, each person can hope to get what he wants. However, this “equality” creates competition since when two people both want the same thing, the opposing parties become enemies. This can be see in Chapter 13 of Leviathan when Hobbes asserts that “every man is an enemy to every man” (87). Hobbes continues in that same paragraph to claim that sometimes, men may come together to achieve a common goal but this association in not motivated by cooperation, but out of self-interest. Each man is hoping to gain something out of this relationship. Therefore, the alliance is not real since each individual is driven by self-interest and there is no way to enforce whatever agreement the parties involved have agreed upon. Additionally, each man still fears the other as there is no guarantee that the
In sophisticated prose, Hobbes manages to conclude that human beings are all equal in their ability to harm each other, and furthermore that they are all capable of rendering void at will the covenants they had previously made with other human beings. An absolutist government, according to Hobbes, would result in a in a society that is not entirely focused on self-preservation, but rather a society that flourishes under the auspices of peace, unity, and security. Of all the arguably great philosophical discourses, Hobbes in particular provides one of the surest and most secure ways to live under a sovereign that protects the natural liberties of man. The sovereign government is built upon the idea of stability and security, which makes it a very intriguing and unique government indeed. The aforementioned laudation of Hobbes and his assertions only helps to cement his political theories at the forefront of the modern
Hobbes explanation of the state and the sovereign arises from what he calls “the State of Nature”. The State of Nature is the absence of political authority. There is no ruler, no laws and Hobbes believes that this is the natural condition of humanity (Hobbes 1839-45, 72). In the State of Nature there is equality. By this, Hobbes means, that there is a rough equality of power. This is because anyone has the power to kill anyone (Hobbes 1839-45, 71). Hobbes argues that the State of Nature is a violent, continuous war between every person. He claims that the State of nature is a state of w...
Hobbes and Locke consider the formation of government from man’s own nature, whether or not government is formed because man is a social animal or if government is formed to preserve society. According to Locke, man must not "think that all government in the world is the product only of force and violence, and that men live together by no other rules but that of beasts" (page 1). "To understand political powe...
Hobbes has a more pessimistic conception of the state of nature, whereas Locke believed humans living in a state of nature could be relatively peaceful and have many benefits, this is the first and most notable difference in their versions. The extremity of Hobbes’ state of nature is characterized as a state of war. He proclaimed that life within the State of Nature is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Leviathan, 186), because of three main principles: equality, scarcity, and uncertainty. Equality means that all people are roughly equal in power, and those who suffer a weakness in one respect can make up for it in another. However, we are all equal with respect to our pursuit of resources and those resources are scarce, so people will do whatever it takes to get those resources for themselves. Since resources are limited we are in a constant state of
Hobbes and Rousseau created a revolutionary idea of the state of nature. They did not believe government should be organized through the church, therefore abandoning the idea of the divine right theory, where power of the king came directly from God. Starting from a clean slate, with no organized church, Hobbes and Rousseau needed a construct on what to build society on. The foundation of society began with the original state of nature. Hobbes’ perception of the original state of nature is what would exist if there were no common power to execute and enforce the laws to restrain individuals. In this case, the laws of the jungle would prevail: only the fittest survive. Man’s desires are insatiable. Since resources are scarce, humankind is naturally competitive, inevitably creating jealousy and hatred, which eventually leads to war.
The main critics of Thomas Hobbes’ work are most often those with a more optimistic view of human nature. However, if one is to really look at a man’s actions in depth, a self-serving motivation can always be found. The main problem with Hobbes’ claims is that he does not account for the more Darwinian perspective that helping one’s own species survive is at the same time a selfish and unwar-like act. Thus his conclusion that without a governing body, we are essentially at war with one another is not completely true as years of evolution can help disprove.
The understanding of the state of nature is essential to both theorists’ discussions. For Hobbes, the state of nature is equivalent to a state of war. Locke’s description of the state of nature is more complex: initially the state of nature is one of “peace, goodwill, mutual assistance and preservation”. Transgressions against the law of nature, or reason which “teaches mankind that all being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty and possessions,” are but few. The state of nature, according to Locke’s Treatise, consists of the society of man, distinct from political society, live together without any superior authority to restrict and judge their actions. It is when man begins to acquire property that the state of nature becomes somewhat less peaceful.
Hobbes believed that human beings naturally desire the power to live well and that they will never be satisfied with the power they have without acquiring more power. After this, he believes, there usually succeeds a new desire such as fame and glory, ease and sensual pleasure or admiration from others. He also believed that all people are created equally. That everyone is equally capable of killing each other because although one man may be stronger than another, the weaker may be compensated for by his intellect or some other individual aspect. Hobbes believed that the nature of humanity leads people to seek power. He said that when two or more people want the same thing, they become enemies and attempt to destroy each other. He called this time when men oppose each other war. He said that there were three basic causes for war, competition, distrust and glory. In each of these cases, men use violence to invade their enemies territory either for their personal gain, their safety or for glory. He said that without a common power to unite the people, they would be in a war of every man against every man as long as the will to fight is known. He believed that this state of war was the natural state of human beings and that harmony among human beings is artificial because it is based on an agreement. If a group of people had something in common such as a common interest or a common goal, they would not be at war and united they would be more powerful against those who would seek to destroy them. One thing he noted that was consistent in all men was their interest in self-preservation.
Thomas Hobbes undertakes the endeavor, in his writing, to constitute a state of order and peace. In his book Leviathan—where we find the foundation of the ideas we have studied by Hobbes—Hobbes attempts to build an understanding of what the purpose of the state, civil society, and the nature of everyone within it is. Hobbes was born in England during a time when English society thrived in discord — both civil and international wars engulfed England at that point in time. So it is almost as if Hobbes’s wartime experience has led him to his attempt to constitute a state of order and peace. Through Hobbes’s writing we can determine his views on humans are rather pessimistic; humans according to him are naturally evil.
Hobbes calls the government an organism, showing how each part of the government functions similarly to parts of a human body. At this point in Leviathan, Hobbes describes his views on human nature. He described human nature using a metaphoric approach. He believes that all human acts are ultimately selfish. Regardless if the acts appear to be good deeds. There is always some type of personal gain or ulterior motive. According to Hobbes, without any form of government to mediate, it is human nature to act self-serving way. He believes that all humans are psychologically and physically equal. Humans are naturally susceptible to fight each other because of the equality. Where one lacks in strength, they make up for it with wisdom and vice
In the excerpt, Hobbes expresses that, justice is impossible in the state of nature in reference to human nature. According to Hobbes, justice can exist as long as every individual has the right of self-preservation. In these texts, self-preservation is defined as the "individual having the liberty to do anything in order to preserve and protect his own life, regardless of the consequences to others". Because we are naturally wicked in Hobbes opinion, the absence of a social contract or any laws to control our right of nature, individuals can kill one another for the sake of protecting their own life and the cycle will continue when in constant conflict with everyone else.
There is no guaranteed safety for anyone. Although some may be physically or mentally stronger than others, all are capable of murdering one another; humans are created as equals. There is no point in making agreements with neighbors because not only are people`s words subjective to their current emotional state but it is not in anyone’s best interest to keep the accords or remain honest (84). He discusses the Right of Nature, which is essentially the right to do whatever one deems as an acceptable act committed in order to survive (79). The problem is that virtually anything can be labeled as fundamental for one 's protection. Because of this, it has the potential to become a right to unethical acts. However, the Law of Nature, which Hobbes believed to be revealed by God through human’s ability for extensive reasoning, condemns the destruction of human life while simultaneously affirming human self-preservation (80). It contains nineteen parts which revolve around seeking peace though justice and morality, as well as doing unto others as one would want to be done upon oneself (97). This is the same reasoning, along with the longing to escape perpetual fear, which drives people to form a