key thinker: thomas hobbes

order: an ordered society should balance the human need to lead a free life

human nature: humans are needy, vulnerable n easily led astray in attempts to understand the world around them

quote: “life in a state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”

main ideas:

• argued for complete obedience to an absolute govt

• argued that pre-government (hypothetical) this ‘state of nature’ was chaos due to unrestrained human freedom

• to avoid this, humans must submit to an authority, even authoritarian » lack of a state at all would be worse

• human nature = needy, vulnerable n tendency to self-interest