Thomas Hobbes believed that human beings are naturally driven by self-interest and fear, leading to a state of nature characterized by conflict and a "war of all against all." In this natural state, life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" because people compete for scarce resources and security
. Hobbes’s moral philosophy is grounded in the idea that humans are motivated by desires ("appetites") and aversions, and reason is used to achieve what benefits them most. Reason helps individuals discover the "Laws of Nature," which are practical rules aimed at securing peace and self-preservation
. To escape the chaos of the state of nature, Hobbes argued that people enter into a social contract, agreeing to surrender some of their freedoms to a sovereign authority who wields absolute power to maintain order and security. This sovereign’s authority is justified because it prevents the return to the state of war, and individuals have a moral and political obligation to obey the sovereign once the contract is made
. Philosophically, Hobbes was a materialist, believing that everything, including human thoughts and emotions, can be explained by physical motions and interactions of matter. He rejected metaphysical concepts like the soul or natural purposes, viewing humans as complex machines governed by laws of motion
. In summary, Hobbes believed in:
- Humans as naturally self-interested and prone to conflict without a strong authority.
- Reason as a tool to pursue self-preservation and peace.
- The necessity of an absolute sovereign established through a social contract to ensure security and order.
- A materialist view of human nature and the universe, rejecting metaphysical explanations
