Fabeha Jahra on Hobbes' Leviathan
This essay was written by Fabeha, a New York City high school senior, as part of the Freedom and Citizenship summer seminar in 2023. To read more student writing, visit the students' Civic Digest.
Thomas Hobbes introduces the idea of a state of nature in Leviathan XIII, a fictitious situation where there is no common authority or government to uphold law and order. The quotation cited encapsulates Hobbes' belief that humans are locked in a constant state of conflict in the absence of a centralized authority. He refers to this conflict as a "war of every man against every man." Hobbes is suggesting that when people are left to their own devices and natural inclinations, they tend towards self-interest and self-preservation, in the absence of a governing authority. People compete for scarce resources in such a state, which results in a never-ending struggle for survival. Because there is no trust, everyone becomes a potential threat to the lives, liberties, and property of others. This condition of universal war results from this lack of trust.
Throughout Leviathan, Hobbes expands on this notion, saying that life in the natural world is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." (Hobbes, 82). He contends that chaos and insecurity result inevitably from the lack of a central authority to enact laws and settle disputes. According to Hobbes, the main function of a sovereign authority is to establish and uphold laws in order to preserve social order and ensure people's safety and wellbeing. I agree with Hobbes' position because it raises significant issues regarding the function of government in society. He claims that the lack of a common power results in a state of war, implying that maintaining order and defending individual rights depends on a functioning government.
