the state of nature

The State of Nature

2. Compare and contrast how Hobbes, Locke, and Hume would answer the following two questions: (a) what are the disadvantages of life in the absence of government (that is, life in the “state of nature”), (b) what are the features of human nature that are responsible for these disadvantages of life in the absence of government?

Human behavior in a true state of nature proves to be a very puzzling topic. Having grown up and lived one’s entire life in society, one finds trouble in defining how people would act in such a situation. However, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and David Hume all attack the question head on. Each philosopher presents his own unique view on human behavior in a state of nature, with both similarities and differences in their theories.
In Leviathan, Hobbes discusses in detail many problems he expects in a state of nature. First of all, each man could use only that which he creates himself. Without society, every inven...