This essay examines the state of nature according to Thomas Hobbes. The state of nature, which has its ancient roots in political philosophy, is also an essential tool that has been used by some political philosophers as a bridge and platform for building a civil society. The state of nature highlights on life without a government, a state or even laws. It also focuses on a society in which humans have their own private judgment in the sense that each individual has the right to act and judge in his or her own case whenever issues such as disputes arise with no authority having to influence the individual’s decisions. It is a subject that has been widely studied by well-known English, Scottish, French philosophers such as John Locke, David Hume, Thomas Hobbes and Montesquieu who talked about the state of nature in some of their works such as the Leviathan (1651), the Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690), a Treatise of Human Nature (1738) and the Spirit of the Laws (1748).
Is Hobbes’ state of nature unduly pessimistic? By Maame Serwah Oteng
The state of nature, which has its ancient roots in political philosophy (Lacewing, p. 1), is also an essential tool that has been used by some political philosophers as a bridge and platform for building a civil society (Sperling, 2001, p. 23). The state of nature highlights on life without a government, a state or even laws (Lacewing, p. 1). It also focuses on a society in which humans have their own “private judgment” in the sense that each individual has the right to act and judge in his or her own case whenever issues such as disputes arise with no authority having to influence the individual’s decisions (Lloyd & Sreedhar, 2014). It is a subject that has been widely studied by well-known English, Scottish, French philosophers such as John Locke, David Hume, Thomas Hobbes and Montesquieu who talked about the state of nature in some of their works such as the Leviathan (1651), the Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690), a Treatise of Human Nature (1738) and the Spirit of the Laws (1748). Although Locke, Hume, Hobbes and Montesquieu all had quite similar views on the state of nature, they also all had at the same time distinct views and opinions on the state of nature. Hobbes believed that “self-preservation is the individual’s most fundamental desire” and that the individual has the right and power to use any means necessary to preserve their life (Lacewing, p. 2). He also believed that life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. What Hobbes meant by life being poor, nasty, brutish and short is that most individuals are selfish, they are driven by self-interest passions (Herdt, 1997, p. 30) and that having the desire to preserve one’s life is strong in most people (Lloyd & Sreedhar, 2014). His view on life being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short also meant that life without some sort of authority, power or government in place would lead to humans beings harming each other, fighting for gain and to get what they want (Lacewing) thus leading to a state of war. On the other hand however other philosophers such as Hume would argue against Hobbes’ idea that life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short and would say that humans possess a benevolent nature, that humans are naturally good and capable of emulating God’s love by making themselves useful and beneficial to others (Herdt, 1997, p. 30). Hume will also argue that a society with a government is the best solution as this will lead to a society with peace. Even though some scholars and philosophers opposed to Hobbes state of nature, his concepts and views on the state of nature have also helped in the shaping of today’s modern day society whether it relates to the subject of law, politics or philosophy. In all these views and circumstances is it possible to suggest that Hobbes’ view on the state of nature is unduly pessimistic?
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- Maame Serwah Oteng (Autor), 2018, Is Hobbes’ state of nature unduly pessimistic? A short overview, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1214541
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