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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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Hobbes believed that “it is not possible for people to have both freedom and peace, since the state of freedom is a state of unlimited greed and war.” (Document C). i believe that hobbes is right about how there are many selfish people and if it came down to you or them, who would you choose? It is most likely that one chooses to save themselves because at a certain time it comes down to survival. Hobbes thought that we should have a ruler such as a king or queen because “democracy- allowing citizens to vote for government leaders- would never work.

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“In 1651, Hobbes wrote one of the most influential philosophical treatises in human history, Leviathan or the Matter Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil. Like his rival, John Locke, Hobbes posited that in a state of nature men and women were free to pursue and defend their own interests, which resulted in a state of war in which “the life of man” was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. ”(“Philosopher who influenced the Founding Fathers and the First Principles,”

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In the condition of nature, where man is put at war against man, no security is conceivable and life is brimming with terror. In any case, two common interests empower individuals to get away from the condition of nature; Hobbes’ refers to them as trepidation and reason (pg.108). Angst makes man need to get away from the condition of nature; logic demonstrates to him a method to get away. Reason gives the laws that Hobbes creates, which constitute the establishment for peace.

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They choose to give up some of their rights in order to live in peace. They consent to be governed by some sort of sovereign. Under a government, your rights to life and property are protected, and you don’t have to live in constant paranoia. Critics may say that Hobbes’ had a very bleak and negative view on human nature, but there is evidence to support his claims about how dangerous humans are. Most humans don’t trust one another.

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According to Hobbes, a sovereign, whether the sovereign was placed into power by violence or force, is the only way to secure law and order. For him, if a citizen obeys the sovereign for fear of punishment or in the fear of the state of nature, it is the choice of the citizen. According to Hobbes, this is not tyranny; it is his idea of a society that is successful, one that does not have room for democracy. As a realist, Hobbes has a fierce distrust of democracy and viewed all of mankind in a restless desire for power. If the people are given power, law and order would crumble in Hobbes’ eyes.

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Hobbes viewed state of nature as a state of war. According to Hobbes, in a state of nature, there is no right to property because no one affords another that right. He stated that property and possessions would inevitably cause men to become enemies. Hobbes believes that people have equal physical and mental ability to harm, and that people will do so for three reasons - competition, difference, and glory. " so that in the state of nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel, first, competition; secondly, difference; thirdly, glory" (Hobbes 2008, p.85).

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One of the many philosophers that were critical of society was Thomas Hobbes. Many of his thoughts challenged political thoughts and were strikingly radical to other ideas. He believed that people naturally were cruel, greedy, and selfish and therefore they would genuinely wish to fight, rob, and oppress one another. A controversy that Hobbes wanted to be answered was how humans can live together in unity, while steering clear of the chaos experienced in civil conflict. In society, he thinks there should be a social contract that gives up freedom for security to protect one another.

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In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes writes about the laws of nature and man’s liberty. Hobbes states that when an individual thinks that peace and self-defense require it, and other people are also willing than he should be willing too. As our natural rights give every man to maintain his right and do whatever they like. But if others don’t lay down then that individual should not follow the law as well because it’s not fair to themselves (p. 60). Hobbes statement will make Socrates dissatisfied because he is more about obeying the laws no matter what.

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1337 Words | 6 Pages

This collective compromise connects us to another one of Hobbes’ laws of nature: that men, with the intention of seeking peace, must surrender certain natural rights with the knowledge that others are doing the same (p. 87, 1998). All citizens are being asked to adhere to more stringent regulations in order to make society safer for everybody. It is only fair that in the pursuit of peace, we practice equality as

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Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, who was best known for his work in political philosophy. Hobbes theory rests his beliefs on human and social nature, comparing and relating moral properties such as goodness and badness to natural properties like desire and pleasure also known as an ‘ethical naturalist’. His novel ‘Leviathan’ discovered and explored the ideas of the social contract theory. So before understanding Hobbes weather analogy, we must first understand what he means when he mentions his concept about the ‘war of all against all’.

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People would partake in violence and crime since they would not suffer any consequence. Hence someone

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There is only constant fear of violence and death, and hence the life of man will be solitary, poor, brutal, nasty, and short as Hobbes mentions. So, according to him we need moral and legal rules to help everyone flourish. Everyone must come together and form certain rules, and everyone must agree to these rules. That is to say they enter a sort of some form of social contract.

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Hobbes was an English philosopher, known through out the world as the author of “Leviathan” which is regarded as one of the earliest examples of the social contract theory. His writings were greatly influenced by the

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In Thomas Hobbes’s words, the life of man is, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” He does not hold a high opinion of man’s ability to enjoy life or at least go through it with endurance and perseverance. On the other hand, John Locke had more confidence in human nature. He believed that morality could be approached rather like numbers: obviously and easily. Everyone would know what good meant, just as everyone would know what five or ten meant.

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Hobbesian Theory in Lord of the Flies The question of whether man is inherently good or evil has been debated amongst religions, philosophers, and many great thinkers since the beginning of man itself. On one hand, there are those who believe we as humans are naturally moral beings, and it is society that makes us evil. However, others argue society is not only good, but needed to control our inhumane and animalistic tendencies. One of the most famous believers in this theory is English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes.

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