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The natural state of people according to Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes' doctrine of man

The natural state of people according to Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes' doctrine of man

Pre-state (natural) state, the emergence of the state and the status of state sovereignty according to T. Hobbes

The source of the doctrine of law and the state is the doctrine of the pre-state (natural) state - this is the state in which society exists before the state. According to Hobbes, the pre-state state is formed by natural rights. That is, each person, in interaction with others, freely realizes natural rights. To get out of the state of nature, people create a state.

The source of the state is a social contract, the essence of which is the voluntary transfer by members of society of their natural rights to a person or group of persons gaining power.

According to Hobbes, the state is the only object of power and the absolute sovereign.

Unlike Machiavelli, Hobbes' theory of etatism is based on the concept of natural law.

Hobbes distinguishes between the pre-state, i.e. natural, state (status naturalis) and state, i.e. civil, state (status civilis).

In the state of nature, man acts as a physical body and is governed by natural law (jus naturale). Natural law is "the freedom of every man to use his own forces at its own discretion for the preservation of its own nature, i.e. own life and consequently freedom to do whatever, in his own judgment and understanding, is the most suitable means for it."

The state of nature is a state of war of all against all (bellum omnium contra omnes); a state of constant fear for one's life.

However, people have natural reason, which prescribes them to follow natural laws (leges naturalis) - immutable and eternal. Natural law (lex naturalis) - “found by the mind general rule, according to which a person is forbidden to do what is detrimental to his life or what deprives him of the means to preserve it, and to miss what he considers best remedy to save life."

Hobbes distinguishes three fundamental natural laws.

1. Law as a goal: “one should seek peace and follow

2. The law as a means: “in case of consent of others

people must agree to give up the right to all things

to the extent necessary in the interests of peace and

defense, and to be content with such a degree of freedom according to

attitude towards other people, which he would have allowed another

other people in relation to themselves. Relinquish the right to

all things means for Hobbes "to abolish the community of

society” and establish the right of ownership, the absence of

togo in the state of nature is the cause of the "war of all

Against everyone".

3. The law as a duty: "people must fulfill the concluded

agreements they have made, without which agreements have no

no matter what" (pacta sunt servanda).

Hobbes is a materialist. He believed that a person is a body in the world of bodies: “Man is not only a physical body; it is also part of the state, in other words, part of the political body. And for this reason, he should be considered equally as a person and as a citizen.

Hobbes identifies three forms of state government:

Monarchy;

aristocracy;

Democracy.

Monarchy is such a form of state government in which the common interests coincide most of all with private interests: "The wealth, strength and glory of the monarch are due to the wealth, strength and glory of his subjects."

Aristocracy is a form of state government in which "the supreme power belongs to the assembly of only a part of the citizens."

Democracy is a form of state government in which the supreme power belongs to the assembly of all.

Hobbes criticized the monarchy, because by inheritance the supreme power can go to a minor or someone who cannot distinguish between good and evil. But democracy also provoked his criticism, because in relation to the decision of questions of war and peace and in relation to the drafting of laws, it finds itself in "the same position as if the supreme power were in the hands of a minor."

State image. The state appears to Hobbes as Leviathan. Leviathan is a sea monster reported in the Bible. Leviathan's body is covered with scales, each of which symbolizes a citizen of the state, and in his hands are symbols of state power: "For art created that great Leviathan, which is called the state (in Latin civitas) and which is only an artificial person, although larger in size and stronger than a natural person, for the protection and protection of which he was created. "

Hobbes draws analogies between the state as artificial man and man as such: the supreme power is the soul; magistrates - joints; reward and punishment are nerves; the welfare and wealth of individuals is power; the security of the people is an occupation; justice and laws - artificial reason and will; civil peace - health; confusion is a disease; civil war is death.

what is common in the views of D. Locke and T. Hobbes on the "natural state of society"? and got the best answer

Answer from Ўlya Pavlova[guru]
Natural look.
And the society, of course, is British, commercial, slave-owning.

Answer from Angelochek[guru]
Thomas Hobbes, in his famous treatise "Levithian, or the Matter, Form, and Power of the Ecclesiastical and Civil State," for the first time, perhaps, expounded the theory of the social contract in a definite, clear and rationalistic (that is, based on the arguments of reason) form. According to Hobbes, the emergence of the state is preceded by the so-called state of nature, the state of absolute, unlimited freedom of people, equal in their rights and abilities. People are equal among themselves and in the desire to dominate, to have the same rights. Therefore, the state of nature for Hobbes is in the full sense of the "state of war of all against all." The absolute freedom of man is the desire for anarchy, chaos, uninterrupted struggle, in which the murder of man by man is justified. In this situation, the natural and necessary way out is to limit, curb the absolute freedom of everyone in the name of the good and order of all. People must mutually limit their freedom in order to exist in a state of social peace. They agree among themselves about this limitation. This mutual self-restraint is called the social contract. By limiting their natural freedom, people at the same time transfer the authority to maintain order and oversee the observance of the contract to one or another group or individual. This is how a state arises, whose power is sovereign, that is, independent of any external or internal forces. The power of the state, according to Hobbes, must be absolute, the state has the right, in the interests of society as a whole, to take any measures of coercion against its citizens. Therefore, the ideal of the state for Hobbes was an absolute monarchy, unlimited power in relation to society. Somewhat different views were held by another English thinker of the 17th century. J. Locke (1632-1704). In his work "Two treatises on state government" he puts forward a different view of the original, natural state of man. Unlike Hobbes with his thesis of "the war of all against all", Locke considers the original absolute freedom of people not as a source of struggle, but as an expression of their natural equality and readiness to follow reasonable natural, natural laws. This natural readiness of people leads them to the realization that in the interests of the common good it is necessary, while maintaining freedom, to give part of the function to the government, which is called upon to ensure the further development of society. This is how the social contract between people is achieved, this is how the state arises. The main goal of the state is to protect the natural rights of people, the rights to life, liberty and property. It is easy to see that Locke deviates significantly from Hobbes' theory. Hobbes emphasized the absolute power of the state over society and people. Locke emphasizes something else: people give the state only a part of their natural freedom. The state is obliged to protect their natural rights to property, life, freedom. The more rights a person has, the wider the range of his duties to society. The state, however, does not have absolute arbitrary power. The social contract implies, according to Locke, the responsibility of the state to citizens. If the state does not fulfill its duty to the people, if it violates natural freedoms, people have the right to fight against such a state. John Locke proceeded from the fact that any peaceful formation of states was based on the consent of the people. Making a reservation in famous work"Two treatises on government" about the fact that "the same thing happens to states as to individuals: they usually have no idea about their birth and infancy," Locke, at the same time, elaborated on the idea that "unification into a single political society" can and should occur only through "mere consent." And this, in the author's opinion, is "the entire contract that exists or should exist between persons entering the state or creating it."

NATURAL STATE

concept that characterizes the original natural human life on Earth before it took on any organized forms. Theories of the state of nature first arose during the Middle Ages, and there were significant variations from some idyllic-paradise interpretation primitive life to the concepts according to which people at that time lived disunitedly and were in a state of “war of all against all” (Hobbes), leading either to complete mutual destruction or to the conclusion of some kind of social contract - the forerunner of the future state structure. For Hegel, the state of nature was associated exclusively with the factor of violence and natural cruelty, since, according to him, law can be instituted and guaranteed only within the framework of an organized society and state.

Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2010 .

NATURAL STATE

NATURAL (lat. naturalis) - legal and political consciousness, found in the Cynics and Aristotle, but acquired importance in the writings of thinkers of the 17th-18th centuries. T. Hobbes considered the “war of all against all” to be a characteristic feature of the state of nature, to stop which people seek to enter into a “civilian state” and conclude. For J. Dhaka is a state of “ complete freedom in relation to their (people. -TD) actions and in relation to the disposal of their property and personality ”(Two treatises on government. - Soch., vol. 3. M., 1988, p. 263). This is not yet a state of war, but only one, the prevention of which also requires the conclusion of a social contract. J.-J. Rousseau saw in the state of nature the “golden age” of mankind, which is characterized by the absence of political, legal and property inequality: “... in the primitive state there were no houses, no huts, no property of any kind” (Discourse on the origin of inequality. - In the book: Rousseau. Treatises. M., 1969, p. 58). According to Rousseau, in the state of nature there was no war between people, because they have an innate benevolence and compassion. Only later do the quotient and inequality appear. The idea of the state of nature as the "initial stage" of human history and at the same time a prototype of the future ideal state played an important role in the struggle of the ideologists of industrial civilization with feudal-estate institutions.

T.B.Dpugach

New Philosophical Encyclopedia: In 4 vols. M.: Thought. Edited by V. S. Stepin. 2001 .

See what "NATURAL STATE" is in other dictionaries:

- (state of nature) The state of mankind before some (certain) event, invasion or artificiality. The natural state (regardless of whether it was understood as a historical reality or as the result of a mental ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

Encyclopedia of Sociology

NATURAL STATE- English. state of nature; German Naturzustand. The supposed initial era of the development of society, depicted either as a state of war of all against all (T. Hobbes), or as an idyllic state of unlimited freedom and universal equality (J. J. ... ... Dictionary in sociology

Natural State- see State of Nature... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

NATURAL STATE- (state of nature) see Locke ... Big explanatory sociological dictionary

natural state- ♦ (ENG natural condition) (lat. status naturalium) the situation of people in the absence of Divine grace ... Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms

Natural (Natural) State- Natural( (Natural) State ♦ État de Nature The position of human beings before the establishment of a common power, general laws even before the emergence of social life. A purely hypothetical state, apparently unsatisfactory ... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

- (Latin jus naturale, French droit naturel, German Naturrecht) - a concept contained in the dobourg. and bourgeois philosophical and political doctrines of an ideal legal code, which is allegedly prescribed by nature itself and imprinted in man. mind. For theories... Philosophical Encyclopedia

NATURAL LAW- [lat. jus naturale], a concept used in political and legal theories to refer to a set of fundamental principles and rights that do not depend on social conditions and follow from the very nature of man. In theistic theories, E. p. his ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

Rocks (a. rock natural state of stress; n. naturlicher Spannungszustand der Gesteine, Spannungszustand im unverritzten Gebirge; f. etat naturel de contraintes du massif; i. estado de tension natural de las rocas) set ... ... Geological Encyclopedia

Books

The Biology of Enlightenment, U. Krishnamurti. Unpublished Conversations with U. G. Krishnamurti - After He Entered the State of Nature (1967-1971). W. G. Krishnamurti (1918-2007) - the most radical and shocking teacher, not ...

The Science of Civil Society by T. Hobbes

The English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes, who made the first conscious attempt to build a "science" of Civil Society on the basis of paramount principles arising from the idea of what a Man would be in a state in which there would be no power - political, moral and social. According to his theory, society is like a person - his simplest
element, there is a car. To understand how it works, you need
imagine it separately, decompose it into its simplest elements, and then anew
fold according to the laws of motion of the components. Hobbes distinguished
artificial "(made by Man) and natural (established
physically) world. A person can only have a certain knowledge about
what people have created. In them, he sought to show that the natural state of Man, in which there was no power and in which he enjoyed the natural right to everything that helped his self-preservation, was an endless struggle, because there was no protection for his desires. Since Man had a mind that enabled him to know the causes of things, he was able to discover those principles of behavior that he had to prudently follow for his own safety.

It was on these principles, called by Hobbes the "Convenient Articles of the World", that men agreed to establish their natural right to everything and to submit to absolute sovereign authority.

Hobbes' conclusions point to monarchical rule, but he was always careful when he touched on this topic, using the phrase "one person or an assembly of people." In those days it was dangerous to touch royalist and parliamentary sore points.

Thomas Hobbes' doctrine of man

If we try to characterize the internal logic of philosophical
studies of Hobbes, the following picture emerges.

The problem of power, the problem of the genesis and essence of the state community was one of the central philosophical and sociological problems facing the leading thinkers of the 16th - 17th centuries in the era of the creation of national states in Europe, strengthening their sovereignty and forming state institutions. In England, during the revolution and civil war this problem was particularly acute. It is not surprising that the development of questions of moral and civil philosophy, or the philosophy of the state, attracted the attention of Hobbes first of all. The philosopher himself emphasized this in the dedication to the work "On the Body", in which he defines his place among other founders of science and philosophy of modern times.

The development of these questions forced Hobbes to turn to the study of man. The English philosopher, like many other advanced thinkers of that era, who did not rise to an understanding of the real, material causes of social development, tried to explain the essence of social life based on the principles of "Human Nature". In contrast to Aristotle's principle that man is a social being, Hobbes argues that man is not social by nature. In fact, if a person loved another only as a person, why should he not love everyone equally. In society, we are not looking for friends, but for the implementation of our own interests.

“What do all people do, what do they consider pleasure, if not slander and arrogance? Everyone wants to play the first role and oppress others; everyone claims talents and knowledge, and how many listeners in the audience, so many doctors. Everyone strives not for cohabitation with others, but for power over them and, consequently, for war. The war of all against all is now the law for savages, and the state of war is still a natural law in relations between states and between rulers, "writes Hobbes. According to Hobbes, our experience, the facts of everyday life tell us that there is mistrust between people. "When a person goes on a journey, a person takes a weapon with him and takes a large company with him; when he goes to bed, he locks the door; staying at home, he locks his drawers. What opinion do we have about our citizens, since we go around armed, since we lock our doors, about our children and servants, since we lock our drawers?

However, adds Hobbes, none of us can blame them. The desires and passions of people are not sinful. And when people live in the state of nature, no unjust acts can exist. The concept of good and evil can take place where society and laws exist; where there is no established, there can be no injustice. Justice and injustice, according to Hobbes, are not abilities of either the soul or the body. For if they were such, a person would own them, even being alone in the world, just as he owns perception and feeling. Justice and injustice are the qualities and properties of a person who does not live alone, but in society. But what pushes people to live together in peace among themselves, contrary to their inclinations, to mutual struggle and mutual extermination. Where
look for those rules and concepts on which human society is based?

According to Hobbes, such a rule becomes a natural law based on reason, with the help of which everyone ascribes to himself abstinence from everything that, in his opinion, may be harmful to him.

The first basic natural law is that everyone must seek peace with all the means at his disposal, and if he cannot obtain peace, he may seek and use all the means and advantages of war. From this law follows directly the second law: everyone must be ready to give up his right to everything when others also wish it, since he considers this refusal necessary for peace and self-defense. In addition to the waiver of their rights, there may also be a transfer of these rights. When two or more people transfer these rights to each other, this is called a contract. The third natural law says that people must adhere to their own contracts. In this law is the function of justice. Only with the transfer of rights does cohabitation and the functioning of property begin, and only then is injustice possible in violation of contracts. It is extremely interesting that Hobbes derives from these basic laws the law of Christian morality: "Do not do to another what you would not like them to do to you." According to Hobbes, natural laws, being the rules of our mind, are eternal. The name "law" for them is not quite suitable, but since they are considered as the command of God, they are "laws".

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1649), an English philosopher of the 17th century, in his famous treatise Levifian, or the Matter, Form and Power of the Ecclesiastical and Civil State, perhaps for the first time expounded the theory of the social contract in a definite, clear and
rationalistic (i.e., based on the arguments of reason) form.
According to Hobbes, the emergence of the state is preceded by the so-called state of nature, the state of absolute, unlimited freedom of people, equal in their rights and abilities. People are equal among themselves and in the desire to dominate, to have the same rights. Therefore, the state of nature for Hobbes is in the full sense of the "state of war of all against all". The absolute freedom of man is the desire for anarchy, chaos, uninterrupted struggle, in which the murder of man by man is justified. In this situation, the natural and necessary way out is to limit, curb the absolute freedom of everyone in the name of the good and order of all. People must mutually limit their freedom in order to exist in a state of social peace. They agree among themselves about this limitation. This mutual self-restraint is called the social contract. By limiting their natural freedom, people at the same time transfer the authority to maintain order and oversee the observance of the contract to one or another group or individual. This is how a state arises, whose power is sovereign, that is, independent of any external or internal forces. The power of the state, according to Hobbes, must be absolute, the state has the right, in the interests of society as a whole, to take any measures of coercion against its citizens. Therefore, the ideal of the state for Hobbes was an absolute monarchy, unlimited power in relation to society.

Somewhat different views were held by another English thinker of the 17th century. J. Locke (1632-1704). In his work "Two treatises on state government" he puts forward a different view of the original, natural state of man. In contrast to Hobbes with his thesis of "the war of all against all", Locke considers the original absolute freedom of people not as a source of struggle, but as an expression of their natural equality and readiness to follow reasonable natural, natural laws. This natural readiness of people leads them to the realization that in the interests of the common good it is necessary, while maintaining freedom, to give part of the function to the government, which is called upon to ensure the further development of society. This is how a social contract between people is achieved, this is how the state arises.
The main goal of the state is to protect the natural rights of people, the rights to life, liberty and property. It is easy to see that Locke deviates significantly from Hobbes' theory. Hobbes emphasized the absolute power of the state over society and people. Locke emphasizes something else: people give the state only a part of their natural freedom. The state is obliged to protect their natural rights to property, life, freedom. The more rights a person has, the wider the range of his duties to society. The state, however, does not have absolute arbitrary power. The social contract implies, according to Locke, the responsibility of the state to citizens. If the state does not fulfill its duty to the people, if it violates natural freedoms, people have the right to fight against such a state. Locke is often cited as one of the main theorists of democratic government. His ideal is the English constitutional monarchy, which embodies the balance of interests of the individual and the state. Locke's views found vivid expression in the "Declaration of Independence of the United States" and in the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen" in France.

J.-J. Rousseau (1712-1778) was one of the major representatives of the French Enlightenment. His theory of the social contract differed significantly from both the views of Hobbes and the views of Locke. The natural state of people Rousseau interprets the state of primitive harmony with nature. Man does not need social restraints, nor morality, nor systematic work. The ability to self-preservation keeps him from the state of "war of all against all." However, the population is growing, geographical conditions are changing, the abilities and needs of people are developing, which ultimately leads to the establishment of private property. Society is stratified into rich and poor, powerful and oppressed, who are at enmity with each other. Inequality develops gradually: first, wealth and poverty are recognized, then power and defenselessness, and finally domination and enslavement. Society needs a civil world - a social contract is concluded, according to which power over society passes to the state. But at the heart of state power, according to Rousseau, is the will and freedom of each individual. This freedom and will remain absolute, unlimited even after the conclusion of the social contract. Therefore, Rousseau puts forward his famous thesis that the bearer and source of power is the people, which can and must overthrow the authorities that violate the terms of the social contract. It is not the state that is sovereign, the people are superstitious. people create laws, change them, adopt new ones. These views are radical and revolutionary. It was they who underlay the ideology of the most extreme group of revolutionaries during the French Revolution - the Jacobins and served as the rationale for the Jacobin terror.