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What Is Thomas Hobbes State Of Nature

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In the commentary section of module 5, A British Philosopher by the name of Thomas Hobbes was mentioned countless times. Hobbes was an egoist who believed that every human on this earth is naturally selfish. Thomas Hobbes stated that due to the social contract theory, individuals hand over certain selfish rights and instincts in order for the world to live in stability and harmony. This is why the world is not ripping at the seams because of our selfishness. For instance, take an example provided in module five. The example states that the people of the world give our authority and power to those of higher authority, such as policemen, law makers, the president, and the military. Individuals give this authority and power to those higher up to essentially save people from other people. …show more content…

An example of a consequence would be serving jail time for committing a crime. The crime would be the selfish act, the police would be the authority, and serving time in jail would be the punishment for indulging in selfish instincts. But what would happen if this authority and power that the police and lawmakers have? Hobbs answers this question saying that if this were to happen everyone would be in a State of Nature. Going by the information provided in module five, a State of Nature is a chaotic, primitive, and lawless state of society where life is short and cruel. Going by Hobbes view, when humans are living according to their own selfish instincts and are in a state of nature, there will be no peace. Murders, theft and any other crime will be committed indefinitely. To avoid living in this state, we give up some of our selfish rights for the greater good of the world. We give up our rights out of fear of getting hurt in a State of Nature

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