Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

English philosopher known for his materialist and reductionist views

Human nature

Believed people are selfish and motivated only by self-preservation

Need for government

Argued that without strong government and regulations, people would destroy each other and society

Famous quote

"The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." - Leviathan

Materialist view

Essence of behavior is in physical motion; sensations are caused by physical objects

Thinking

Believed thinking is a form of movement in the brain

Reductionism

Explained complex processes by reducing them to interactions of simple elements, like reflexes

Pain and pleasure

People mechanically move away from sources of pain and toward sources of pleasure