Thomas Hobbes (copy)

Power

A means to obtain some future apparent good; classified into original (natural faculties) and instrumental (acquired through luck or assistance).

Natural Equality

The belief that people are naturally equal in body and mind, leading to equal capability and desire for what others have.

Felicity

Happiness through the continual satisfaction of desires; linked to the accumulation of power to fulfill future wants.

Good and Evil (in the State of Nature)

Subjective views where good is defined by what individuals love, and evil by what they hate, leading to potential conflict.

Three Primary Sources of Conflict in the State of Nature

1. Competition for resources, 2) Diffidence (distrust), 3) Glory (pride and honor).

State of Nature

A condition without political authority characterized by chaos and constant conflict among individuals.

Right of Nature

The liberty each man has to use his own power for self-preservation, allowing actions deemed necessary for survival.

Laws of Nature (First 3)

1. Seek peace as far as one has hope of obtaining it, 2) Contract in a way that promotes peace, 3) Be just by fulfilling covenants.

The Fool

A character who dismisses the concept of justice, believing they can outsmart others; considered foolish by Hobbes due to overestimation of their wits.

Civil Laws

Commands issued by the sovereign intended to define right and wrong, limit natural liberty, and establish peace among individuals.

Justice

The fulfillment of covenants; it cannot exist without a common power to enforce agreements.

Liberty

The absence of external constraints on action; related to the sovereign’s laws that limit individual freedom to promote social order.

Good Laws

Laws that are necessary and beneficial for both the sovereign and the citizens, promoting peace and the common good.