Analysis Of The State Of Nature

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State of Nature – Paper Four

In his famous book, Leviathan, English scholar Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) describes to readers the “state of nature”, a depiction where mankind exists in an uncivilized, lawless society where fear of eminent death reign. In his words the state of nature represents a “war of all against all, in which the life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Shafer-Landau 197). In order to escape such a life man must band together into a commonwealth where they trade unlimited freedom for the prospect of cooperation and increased quality of life. This trade-off is based off the complexities of the situation known as the prisoner’s dilemma, which weighs the value of self-interest versus cooperation. In general, …show more content…

In a commonwealth, otherwise known as a society, people give up their unlimited freedoms in order to attain a level of stability and peace not available in a state of nature. The two things which separate a commonwealth from the states of nature are beneficial rules and enforcers of these rules. Rules, meant to be beneficial and helpful, are the official terms of the social contract which the members of a commonwealth agree to in order to join. Said another way, rules or laws are the particular individual freedoms one relinquishes. By doing so, a member of a commonwealth gains the value of cooperation with others in the commonwealth. It is perfectly rational for the normal person to renounce such freedoms as the ability to harm, rob or even kill others for an option of civility. Fundamentally the trade off of some unrestrained liberties, despite ones potential physical or mental prowess, ultimately justifies submission; this is the promise of an organized …show more content…

Hobbes is correct to claim the rational course of action is for people to give up small liberties such as free reign to rob, kill and steal in order to live in a commonwealth with increased security. In addition, instances such as the prisoner’s dilemma validates that self-interests motivates people, the result is almost never ideal. Pollution, over fishing and athletes taking steroids are perfect examples of this phenomenon. While a certain small portion of society will have a higher level of utility under the state of nature, such violent and aggressive individuals are rightly discounted when weighing the pros and cons in favor of creating a

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