“Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them in awe, they are in condition which is called war, and such a war is of every man against every man… In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of a man, solitary, poor, brutish, and short. ”
- Thomas Hobbes
- “common power” (which keeps “them all in awe”) - to keep people ‘controlled’, otherwise people to to “war”
- “In such condition…” - no certain future, cannot trust anyone, ‘natural’, fear, life is “poor, nasty, brutish, and short” without government (common power)
Hobbes called this the human “state of nature”.
Summary: believes that, without government, it is every man vs. every man (human nature is needy, vulnerable, and likely to commit destructive acts). Context: written during the English Civil War (1640s) - this was written from experience rather than imagination since, during this time, there was no government.
Social Contract
Hobbes believe that the state had a duty to uphold civility and order, but that the civilian would agree to obey it.
This is called the “social contract”.
This represents his idea for the state being due to solely be for order and security, and therefore minimalistic.