Thomas Hobbes's Response To Mankind Survival In The State Of Nature

Can man survive in The State of Nature? When faced with this question there are three majority answers that will be given. Yes, No or some will say, “Well it depends on who you ask”. Nevertheless, I am here to persuade you into questioning the reality of the state of nature, as it relates to Mankind Survival, through correlations and observations of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes’ writings. In J. Locke and T. Hobbes writing humans exist in two places. The first place is “The State of Nature”, a place in which one is referring to the state of nature; is when one speaks of a condition in which society is non-existing. The second place is “Society”, a place in which a human decides to join and be governed by rules deemed fit by that society. While these two philosophers differ in the way that they see a human, which in return drastically affects the state of which “the state of nature” is lived in. The two opposing views of human will give the widest view of how Society and The State of nature are related to one another.

These “Natural Laws” as stated by John Locke reads, “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one, and reason, which is that law teachers all mankind, who will consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possession…”. This is the state of nature in which John Locke sees humans taking their first steps in. However, John Locke’s state of nature laws of nature leaves room for