Thomas Hobbes Leviathan – the state of nature,

Transcript:Thomas Hobbes Leviathan – the state of nature,:
Thomas Hobbes Leviathan – the state of nature, natural laws, and the commonwealth The Condition of Man Men are equal in the power of their minds and bodies. They are equal in their faculties of mind because there is no large degree of difference in their intelligence, and each has a sufficient ability to pretend to be similar in ways that they maybe deficient from one another. They are equal in their bodies in the sense that if one man is stronger than another, the former can band together with others to overpower the other. From the fact that we have equal abilities it follows that we have equality of hope in attaining what we want. From the equality of hope it follows that any two men that desire the same thing, but cannot both enjoy it, will become enemies. The State of Nature The three principle causes of fighting in the state of nature: Competition – makes people invade for gain Diffidence – makes people invade for safety Glory – makes people invade for reputation Life in the state of nature is: Solitary – alone in the sense of not being able to trust others Poor – both in wellbeing and in resources Nasty – in terms of interaction with others Brutish – in terms of the overall condition of things Short – in terms of the length of life The Argument for Anti-Realism about Justice in the State of Nature In the state of nature the condition is one of a war of every man against every man. From the fact that the condition is one of a war of every man against every man, it follows that there is no common power. If there is no common power, then there is no law. If there is no law, there is no injustice. So, in the state of nature there is no conception of law or justice. In the state of nature the notions of right and wrong do not apply! The Transition out of the State of Nature Hobbes argues that we come to desire an exit from the state of nature. First and foremost, the passions and desires that we come to have from being in the state of nature provide us with hope for something better. From the fact that it is a nasty, brutish, and a short lived life that we have, we come