State of Nature and Freedom Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

State of Nature and Freedom In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes places limits on the freedom of individuals in the social contract, as well as individuals in the state of nature. Hobbes writes that in the state nature, â€Å"the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; doing anything which, in his own judgement and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means there unto† (ch. 14,  ¶1). An individual’s will is only free when there is no extraneous obstacles and his rapacious disposition and self preservation will be guided by his reason. Residing in the state of nature without extraneous obstacles signifies an individual’s convictions of freedom are endless, there is however very†¦show more content†¦One objection to Hobbes’ theory of freedom in the state of nature is the idea of bringing others into your power, reasoning that we are not made for one another’s uses and may not, a s Locke states, â€Å"impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another† (sec. 6). Locke writes that all men have no more power or jurisdiction than the next; that all men are â€Å"promiscuously born to all the same advantages of nature, and the use of the same faculties† (sec. 4). Even with regards to our mental capabilities we are given an even greater equality. While some men receive formal educations and are educated in science, arts or math, all men gain prudence. Hobbes reasons that because all men are created equal and all men have perpetual, restless desire for power they will â€Å"endeavor to destroy, or subdue one another, if one possess a convenient seat, others may probably be expected to come prepared with forces united, to dispossess, and deprive hime of his life, or liberty. And the invader is in like danger of another† (ch. 13 ¶3). Locke strongly disagrees with this principle claimi ng that we should well use force and violence to destroy â€Å"those dangerous and noxious creatures† (sec. 16), who threaten our rights, but because reason governs men in this state, reason would rather have them want â€Å"the peace and preservation of all mankind† (sec. 7.) A second objection to Hobbes theoryShow MoreRelatedDo Metaphors Really Matter?1208 Words   |  5 Pageswill be the metaphor used by the famous English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, in his famous book, â€Å"Leviathan† which was published in 1651. 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He was the first thinker of modernity that, from a psychological and anthropological analysis, attempts to establish the need for the civil state (Collins 2013). This is the subject of his most famous political work Leviathan, which is a compendium of all his philosophical thoughts (Collins 2013). Hobbes makes observationsRead MoreAnalysis Of Jean Jacques Rousseau s Perfect Freedom Essay1234 Words   |  5 Pagesfamily is not compatible with the true nature of human beings. Dependence on a person or persons (i.e. the family unit), or in the domain of a system of government, whether physical or emotional, runs contrary to the suggestion of Thomas Hobbes that perfect freedom is an intrinsic condition of human nature. The only true natural association is the family; its characteristics are primarily widespread beyond the primitive needs from which it originates. 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