Hobbes’s glory is our day’s jealousy. Men are usually jealous about their property and gains, and in order to protect them from others they are ready to fight. Men are also jealous about the success of others, so they will want to destroy or to steal the property and gains of somebody else, since in this way they can also potentially reduce the power (success) of their “enemy”. By reducing the power of their rival, they will also be able to elevate their own honor and prestige, and become the center of the society. This does not happen in our world because we have a government that prevents individuals from acting this way; however in the state of nature there is no such authority, so the only possibility is conflict.
Universal conflict notwithstanding, Hobbes does believe in some forms of morality. However his view of morality is very different from Locke’s, and fits perfectly with his view of the state of nature. What Hobbes claims is true, since men are always interested in self-interest first and the interests of their fellows second. Men will always tend to accomplish their own goals and preferences before helping or looking out for the interests of other people. Men in Hobbes’s state of nature act
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Morality is deployed by Locke to explain why he believes that life in the state of nature can also be peaceful and in harmony. Locke states that human beings have a morality that guides them. This morality is represented by the “Laws of Nature” (Wolff 154). The Laws of Nature are laws that were made by God, and so no individual can discuss them, they can only obey them, if not they will be punished accordingly. The Laws of Nature state that no one has the right to “harm” or damage somebody else either physically or morally, and that the final end of the law is to “preserve mankind as much as possible” (Locke 4). In order to respect these laws, men must respect one another and recognize their