philosophy exam 3 Hobbes State of Nature

State of Nature Hobbes

“solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”

Right of Nature

The freedom to do whatever one deems is necessary for self-preservation

Laws of Nature

1)Every person ought to strive for peace; 2) Everyone should be willing to lay down their natural right; 3) Everyone ought to remain faithful to the contract they’ve entered by which they’ve laid down their natural rights

Why give up our natural right?

For Safety, Security, and Order which are lacking in the State of Nature

Social contract

Mutual agreement between people to give up certain rights and privileges in exchange for some benefit • The legitimate basis of a political society and political authority (i.e. government)

Political absolutism

a system of governance in which a single sovereign ruler possesses absolute power over the state and its people. This authority is not subject to any legal or institutional checks from other branches of government, such as legislative or judicial bodies. The ruler is to govern without regularized challenges or limitations. Hobbes believes that this is needed for humans to “escape” the state of nature.