analysis Thomas Hobbes?s claim ?a state of nature is, or would be, a state of war of everyone against everyone.?

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Thomas Hobbes argues that a state of nature will eventually become a state of war of everyone against everyone. According the Hobbes, the main reason behind this change will be the harsh competition over scarce resources caused by the nature of man. Through out this essay Hobbes’s reasons will be explained in greater detail.
In order to truly understand the logic behind Hobbes’s claim, we must first understand his point of view of human nature. The key element in Hobbes’s view on human nature was the importance of desires. Unlike many other philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, Hobbes had a different approach to desires. He believed desires were real motive behind human behaviors. (Leviathan, p119) What motivated human actions were not virtues such as wisdom as Aristotle and Plato would claim, nor was it a sense of duty as Cicero would say. It was rather simple desire. Hobbes did not see desire as a harmful feeling, which must be avoided. He rather thought of it as a positive part of human nature, which could drive a person to achieve more and more.
Hobbes had a definition of happiness closely connected to desires. Hobbes defined happiness as a “continual successe in obtaining those things which a man from time to time desireth” He used the phrase “felicity” for this definition of happiness. (Leviathan, p.129) Important point here is, there is no limit to this attaining of goods and happiness is a continued process of desire fulfillment, which lasts from birth to death.
It would not be wrong if we claim all reasonable people would like to live a life of happiness or in other words, a life of felicity. Having accepted Hobbes’s definition of felicity, it can be further said that all people would want a life where all their desires are fulfilled.
Hobbes argued that despite minor differences, all people were close to being the same in both ability and intelligence. (Leviathan, p.183) Hobbes further stated, because people are close to being the same they also have similar desires. This is the point where the problems begin. All people have similar desires for certain goods as well as the same hope of attaining them but unfortunately most of these desired goods are limited in numbers. Because there aren’t enough resources for everyone to fu...

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...ostly take care of their children with certain degree of love. Thinking that humans would become enemies to theirs seems illogical. In today’s world parents take care of their children not because laws force them but because they love them. This is an instinctive love necessary for the survival of human race and it is doubtful this love of children will be overcome by desire in a state of nature.
The bottom line is that according to Hobbes, desires are the real motive behind human behavior. In order to live a life of happiness humans must constantly fulfill their desires. But, because human understanding of “good”, “bad” is interest based and the aim of “rationality” is no more than self preservation, a state of nature with no authority to fear from turns in to a state of war where every one is against everyone. With the reasons he has provided, Hobbes has put forward a good but not perfect argument. Even though there are some flaws, he has done a good job explaining how competition for desires leads up to a state of war. However, this “war” to take place between everyone against everyone including families doesn’t seem to be a realistic argument.

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