Thomas Hobbes Flashcards
(9 cards)
When was Thomas Hobbes alive?
1588-1679
When and what was his book?
Leviathan- 1651
What was his view of human nature?
Sceptical
Needy and vulnerable
Likely to commit destructive acts
What was life like in the state of nature for Hobbes
No voluntary arrangements between individuals
No natural rights
Natural chaos
What is Hobbes quote about the state of nature?
‘Solitary, Poor, Nasty, Brutish, and short’
What did Hobbes believe life was like without a formal authority?
Unquestioned code of right and wrong
Humans left to find own version of right and wrong
Uncertainty and war
Was human nature wholly irrational?
No
Would agree to a contract
Render to a sovereign- right tot make laws
Lead to order and security
What did Hobbes think the state would have to be?
Autocratic
A dispersla of powers would lead to conflict
Without the state there would be no civil society
It should be autocratic, intimidating and forbidding
What events happened in Hobbes’ lifetime?
English Civil War
Spanish Armada
