State of Nature as State of War (Hobbes)
Thomas Hobbes' concept of the state of nature as a state of war is central to his political philosophy, particularly as articulated in his seminal work, Leviathan (1651). Hobbes describes the state of nature as a hypothetical condition in which there is no government, no laws, and no overarching authority to impose order. In this state, individuals are equal in their capacities but are driven by self-interest and the instinct for self-preservation. Hobbes argued that without a common power to keep them in check, individuals would inevitably be in conflict with one another, as they would be competing for scarce resources, such as food, shelter, and safety. This competition, coupled with a lack of trust, leads to a state of constant fear and insecurity—what Hobbes famously characterized as a "war of all against all" (bellum omnium contra omnes). In such a state, life would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short," because there would be no cooperation, no ind…
