Leviathan Essay

Accounts of the State of Nature and characterization of Human Beings

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes was written thanks to Euclid, like a geometrical proof where the first chapters set the foundations upon which the book and his later ideas will be based. One of the main arguments presented is that in a state of nature, the characteristics of human beings would put us in a war of all against all. The state of nature is when there is no government, rules or regulations except those strategies that can get you ahead in life to help the number one goal of living and living well. Reason and narrow self-interest provide some more of the inner-workings of the mind along with other important issues such as the restless desire for power and the will attribute to Hobbess conclusion of humans. Even though Hobbes has presented a strong argument, there is always room for revision and one cant ignore the fact that there may be a higher cognitive thinking level and care amongst human beings which Hobbes had not taken into account before writing Leviathan.

Humans capacity of reason and narrow self- interest have demonstrated exactly how the world would have appeared if there had been a state of nature. Reason, is the adding and subtracting of consequences of agreed upon general names (Hobbes pg.41). This process may take place during decisions and it is not nearly as cognitive as most people would object. Reason is primarily used through rationalism where we use reason to know about the world and also through empiricism where we learn through the senses. When trying to learn through reason it is important to clearly define the terms and proceed through the decision like a geometrical work.

Reason in the state of nature is always focused on the one goal in mind which is living and living well. To keep living and living well it is important to watch out for yourself since the state of nature is a war of all against all. This is the narrow self-interest which makes people always looking towards ways to get ahead or have the upper hand on everyone around. There are no alliances, unless these teams are to help you stay safe but once their purpose is done, cut them and keep moving. Every single decision made in ones life is determined by how it will affect them positively, regardless of others. Deals can be made only through covenants to help one another out in the state of nature but there is no such thing as a selfless act. To be safe it is also important to remember one must only perform their side of the social contract if the other side has been accomplished first (Hobbes pg. 106).

All of the human attributes seem to be driving humans in the state of nature towards a war of all against all but a couple seem to stick out more prevalently. In reason, there is often a deliberation process where our body is influenced by desires and pushed away by aversions. The will, is the last desire or aversion in this process that will make you act upon an action. This attribute may force humans to do beneficial things toward themselves to continue living and living well. However, if the will is strong enough it can sway people to do terrible actions such as harm others to covet their tastes and treasures to help preserve their own way of living (Right of Nature pg. 103 Hobbes).

This deep, dark desire in the back of everyones mind is an endless desire for power (Hobbes pg. 80). Once an object is acquired, it is only a matter of time until it is dull and then one must move on because no one ever reaches a state of full contentment. When being as materialistic as humans are, there is always something out there better that is desired by most and only had by few. In the nature of man, there are three principal causes of quarrel that men try to take for power. The first, maketh men invade for gain (wives, cattle); the second, for safety (to defend them); and the third, for reputation (name, nation, friends) (Hobbes pg. 99). When every single man is striving for all of these objects of power there is no end because one can never have everything. These actions would have the whole world pinned in an all out battle and this cyclical process would continue for generations.

An important basis in the state of nature and the restless desire for power is that of moderate scarcity. The world upon which we live is clearly a closed system having only a set amount of funds for the entire population to survive. The term moderate scarcity states that there is no absolute abundance, but not so little around to starve, and enough around to be happy sometimes (Hobbes pg. 80). There is simply not enough resources to make everyone happy sparking jealousy and tension. Moderate scarcity is one of the major factors that would drive people into a war of all against all in a state of nature. When shares are unequal for people it is then that the desire for power and right of nature makes people go after anything that they do not already possess. The Fundamental Law of Nature states Every man has a right to everything; even to one anothers body (Hobbes pg. 103). On the contrary, no man is going to lie down while their valuables are taken and in turn are entitled to the right of self-defense. If the intruder were to win and steal all of their goods, then the other man is also allowed to the Seventh Law of Nature which is revenge.

Out of all of the characteristics for men, it still seems that the human mind is a little more complex than Hobbes gives credit. If a person were asked, they would like to say that their decisions are not predetermined and they do not act solely on instincts but behave in a much more respectable manner. The deliberation process seems more complicated than a simple saying of I want cake and then going out and buying one. When a crossroads appears, there is a multitude of decisions that may enter the mind to help make a decision made up of not only desires and aversions that predetermines the decision. There are also contributing factors such as how your day was, what you ate that morning, or if a person in your family may have became sick from cake recently. Also, we in our minds may desire cake, but often times there may be a higher goal that sways us away from the cake such as living long and well making many people hold off from their desires.

One of the most striking contradictions to Hobbes conclusion of humans has got to be love. He does talk about examples of benevolence where one does an action first for another in hopes of later down the road receiving a gift from that person. There is even mention of a free gift, where there is no need for a return in favor but just hoping to gain friendship or service if ever in a time of need (Hobbes pg. 106). However, certain situations seem to exceed solely trying to find ways of achieving a stronger status in the world. For instance, during Christmas the parents of children will often buy gifts for their loved ones out of the kindness of their hearts. In turn, those children may return the favor by trying to make a gift and dedicate many hours in creating a special gift back. There is no talk of covenants, strategies, or secret plans of trying to get ahead involving the state of nature. It is simply a time of celebrating life and the love that the family has shared over the year. Love is mysterious and having no explanation makes it seem very hard for a psychological egoist such as Thomas Hobbes to describe.

Thomas Hobbes has provided philosophy with many theories as well as topics for controversy. The conclusion of humans inside the state of nature proposes a very well-thought out argument and it seems as though Hobbes has it right on many different levels. In the state of nature there would be a lot of chaos over territory, food, and anything desirable to help preserve the right of nature. There would be a constant battle between people resulting in covenants as well as betrayals to rise above others. However, this characterization of human beings is considered only at the ground level where it is survival of the fittest and does not relate to the world today. Humans can relax and not only enjoy relationships with their friends and family but enjoy without thoughts of how their decision will help them in the future if some people were to attack. The human mind is more complex than any one person can determine and it is through theories such as in Leviathan that people have come to understand and debate how people actually function.

Works Cited

1. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan: With Selected Variants from the Latin Edition of 1668. Hackett Pub Co Inc, 1994.