The Concept Of State Of Nature - 918 Words

The Concept of State of Nature A British philosopher and an egoist, Thomas Hobbes believes that humans are selfish by nature. He believes that we are all potential enemies and that we need authorities such as police, the military and courts of law to protects us from each other. He also believes that laws and morality only exist due to fear of living in a state of chaos and conflict. Hobbes describes life without any incentive to be good as â€Å"nasty, brutish and short† otherwise known as State of Nature. When Hobbes refers to State of Nature, he is referring to the result of a society in which authority and incentive to be good are taken away. The words that he uses to describe life in this state include â€Å"nasty, brutish and short†. Hobbes adapted this theory from his belief that all humans are inherently selfish. With this belief comes the question of how we all get along in a society if we are all selfish human beings. Hobbes explanation to this is in his notio n of the social contract. This basically means that we give up some of our freedom in exchange for security, An example of social contract would be speeding. Yes, many people would love to go well over the speed limit, but we wouldn’t want everyone doing the same thing in fear of our safety. Therefor we give up speeding for safety and agree to be governed by police that enforce speeding laws that everyone is required to follow. Some philosophers have compared Hobbes’ state of nature to a famous novel written byShow MoreRelatedThomas Hobbes And John Locke928 Words   |  4 Pagessociety continues to progress and shape, comes along ideas to help create a foundation to stabilize citizens. Perspectives on human nature itself and the purpose of a government must be explicated to generalize what is needed and why. To create a positive and successful political institution these values must be viewed to attain the prime government. The state of nature is the freedom of indivi duals in a civilization where there is no formed society, government, laws, safety, etc. both Thomas HobbesRead MoreConceptions of the Social Contract Theory924 Words   |  4 Pagestheories and the ways that he believed reminds me of present day America. If we do not have political and civil rules, we as mankind, will result back into a state of nature. Hobbes states that when man is in the state of nature that, â€Å"the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.† I do agree with Hobbes that living in the state of nature would be hard for us to do in present day because we have more knowledge than they did back then. Intern, people did not know that they were poor becauseRead MoreRalph Waldo Emerson s Philosophy On Truth And Lies1172 Words   |  5 Pagesessay, Nature further examines the ideas of truth and concepts introduced by Friedrich Nietzsche in On Truth and Lies in a Non-Moral Sense. Nietzsche interpretations of the truths of the universe and the lang uage we use to enforce those truths were wrong. Nietzsche, like Emerson, believed we had to conceive our own knowledge and truth in the universe, however, he did not introduce how to go about doing so. Emerson, furthers Nietzsche’s theory on truth and concepts into his own theory on Nature and proposesRead MoreDualism of Human Nature Essay684 Words   |  3 PagesThe Dualism of Human Nature and Its Social Conditions- Emile Durkheim According to Durkheim’s work The Dualism of Human Nature and Its Social Conditions (DHN), a man has a dual nature which is made up of the body (individual) and the soul (social). He sheds light on this by citing post-Durkheim theories which he does not agree with and which do not solve the problem of this dual nature. Durkheim also uses The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (EFRL) to discuss the religious aspect of theRead MoreThomas Hobbes State of Nature in Leviathan Essay847 Words   |  4 Pagesparamount. Within the State of Nature that is, outside of civil society we have a right to all things ‘even to one another’s body’, and there would be no agreed authority to ensure the moral grounds of our decisions. Therefore since there are no restrictions and no shared authority; man is naturally un-guarded and prone to conflict and each individual is deemed a potential threat to our resources. From this concept Hobbes deduces that the state of nature is thus primarily a state of war, which leadsRead MoreHobbes Laws of Nature Essay700 Words   |  3 Pagesread one segment of his works†¦) at least in regard to human nature. Hobbes takes the position that in a â€Å"state of nature† there are no laws and as such the concept of justice and injustice is null, because there is no law to violate or enforce. Which, in the most basic, factual and literary sense, is true. But in application, I don’t believe that the theory holds much merit. Hobbes’ basis for the state of nature is that in such a state, there is no authority, and without authority, there are noRead MoreHow Does Private Property Begin1140 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to the Rousseau the state of nature which he mentioned was suppositious, primordial habitation where humans live uncontaminated by the society. He said men are born with the blank face which is neither good nor bad, but the society and social environment in which he is brought up plays an important role in shaping their nature. People have complete physical and emotional freedom for doing anything in society. But he also mentioned some of the drawbacks of humans are that they have not yetRead MorePolitical Theory: Property1369 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction One of the most confounding concepts in the discipline of political theory is the issue of property. Classical philosophers like Plato and Aristotle dedicate a large part of their works to speculations about the state of nature and property ownership. However, a comprehensive theoretical exploration of the concept of private property ownership is credited to relatively modern philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. The writings of Locke and Rousseau onRead MoreEssay about The Nature of Evil1552 Words   |  7 Pageswhen one investigates the meaning of evil from religious, social, and philosophical vantage points that they may truly discover the nature of evil. In religion, the concepts of good and evil refer to a range of objects, desires, and behaviors which constitute morally positive and morally negative consequences on a spiritual level. Good is a broad concept typically comprised by associations with charity, happiness, love, and prosperity. Evil, on the other hand, can represent deliberateRead MoreThe Physics Of Mathematics And Mathematics Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction There are reasons to doubt the physical nature of reality, tenets taught by society through heredity and ones’ own consciousness, simply because of the fallacies and imperfections of the human condition. Thus, it is reasonable that any human thought can be questionable. However, Mathematics is not to be doubted. Although, limitations, paradoxes and problems exist in mathematics and is a product of human intelligence, Nevertheless, Mathematics is a continuum of understanding of the universe