Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is an English philosopher that is best known for his work in political philosophy and in the early stages of today's political science. In order to further understand the present day, he chose to create his Human Nature Argument. This argument surrounds the mental creation of a primitive human, how he interprets his world, and how he interacts with it. By viewing this, he believes, you can learn volumes about today's man and his most secret thoughts. The Human Nature Argument states that man is merely interested in himself and is always at a state of war with the world and others. In order to be in actual peace, one must follow reason, ultimately abandoning the state of nature.
[...] This contradicts the works of Richard Cumberland and Samuel Purfendorf, which claim that the natural man is at a constant state of fear, constantly ready to flee an area. Rousseau says how this is not true due to man's lack of knowledge surrounding death. He states that “since a savage man lives dispersed among the animals and, finding himself early on in a position to measure himself against them, he soon makes the comparison; and, aware that he surpasses them in skillfulness more than they surpass him in strength, he learns not to fear them any more” (Rousseau, 20). [...]
[...] According to Rousseau, Hobbes “wrongly injected into the savage man's concern for self-preservation the need to satisfy a multitude of passions which are the product of society” (35). He mentions how two certain traits are present in man before anything else. More specifically, these are “love of self” and Love of self is one's constant drive towards survival. This relates to the idea of self- preservation. This is what ultimately causes man to turn away from pain and hunger, contributing to his health and wellbeing. [...]
[...] Rousseau elaborates: I would very much like someone to explain to me what kind of misery can there be for a free being whose heart is at peace and whose body is in good health? . I ask if anyone has ever heard tell of a savage who was living in liberty ever dreaming of complaining about his life and of killing himself” (34). The lack of reason and knowledge may further explain the phrase many use today: “ignorance is bliss.” Rousseau provides further reasoning: it is neither the development of enlightenment nor the restraint imposed by the law, but the calm of the passions and the ignorance of vice which prevents them from doing evil” (36.) This shows that while the natural man lacks certain things, it in no way lowers his quality of life. [...]
[...] This leads to his point of how one man cannot naturally enslave another, as it is highly unpractical. He further explains: someone chases me from one tree, I am free to go to another; if someone torments me in one place, who will prevent me from going elsewhere?” (Rousseau, 42). On the other hand, civilization exaggerates inequality: will be understood how much less the difference between one man and another must be in the state of nature than in that of society, and how much natural inequality must increase in the human species through occasioned by social institutions” (Rousseau, 42). [...]
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