Thomas Hobbes

(1588 – 1679)

English philosopher, considered one of the founders and most significant figures of modern political philosophy. His most famous work is his 1651 book Leviathan, in which he proposed an influential formulation of the social contract theory.

The underlying feature of his philosophy is the psychological egoism he ascribes to humans.

According to Hobbes, every living being obeys laws of individual survival and all human acts are motivated by self-interest and the quest for power.
There is no place or possibility of altruism and even the the most seemingly altruistic acts can be explained in terms of self-interest (for example, Hobbes would say that acts of charity are actually just demonstrations of our own power, and that by helping others, we are showing ourselves to be better and more resourceful. Also, having empathy or pity for others is merely a result of imaging to be in the other’s place one day, and acting in hopes that if we find ourselves in such a place one day, someone will help us out then)
His view seemingly accounts for all acts (an explanation in terms of self-interest can be proposed for anything) – a view which will later be put under question by philosophers of science and the introduction of the principle of falsifiability of scientific theories (see Karl Popper).

In order to justify the power of an overarching political authority in a society, Hobbes introduced an important idea into philosophy, namely, the state of nature. It is a hypothetical scenario which imagines the natural condition of mankind, before humans formed organized societies. The state of nature is an important basis for the social contract because it asks ,“How did the world look before society and organised civilisations came into place & what were the reasons people chose to enter into a social contract?”

According to Hobbbes, the state of nature is one of scarcity and fear, where every man is alone and for himself (“every man is an enemy to every man”). There is no law, no morality, no property and only the natural right to protect oneself and one’s interests, by any means necessary.
For example, imagine a few people living in an area with a food source, let’s say an apple tree. Because of the inherent egoism and selfishness that Hobbes attributed to human nature, it would be in the best interest of each person to take the tree for himself, pick all the apples and hide them somewhere, so he has enough to eat all year long. Each person probably has the same idea and in trying to pursue it, they might as well all kill each other over the apple tree. It would be in their best interest to come to an understanding among each other and say, everyone gets to pick one apple a day, and in this way, everybody will have enough to survive. However, selfish human nature comes into play here again, and even though they might have made an agreement like this, they still don’t trust one another. Under the guise of having made this agreement, someone will be bound to misuse the trust of others and nevertheless take all the fruits for himself. Still, no one can rest in peace —> This is where Hobbes introduces the need for an overarching authority.
A third party (a ruler, or a monarch, a sovereign, or a government – what Hobbes called the Leviathan) comes into place and they make an agreement: the third party will protect the apple tree and make sure that each person only takes one apple a day. This is Hobbes’s social contract. He admits that there is no assurance that the chosen third party will truly respect the contract and act in the best interests of those that put him in power. The Leviathan could turn out to be a monster and abuse his power to pursue his own self-interest – however, Hobbes maintains that any form of a ruling sovereign or government is better than the anarchic state of nature.