The State of Nature

Among political philosophers “The State of Nature” appears to be one of the most disputed and fought over definitions peculiar to their science. Two modern political thinkers who seem to have differing views on the “original” condition of man are Hobbes and Locke. While Hobbes and Locke do agree in certain aspects of their study of nature (such as men being equal and a right to self preservation) they claim to be very different from each other. This claim is best shown by Locke’s statement regarding the difference between the state of nature and the state of war.
“And here we have the plain difference between the state of nature and the state of war; which however some men have confounded, are as far distant, as a state of peace, good will, mutual assistance and preservation, and a state of enmity, malice, violence and mutual destruction, are one from another” (Modern Reader, 317).
When Locke mentions that some men have confounded this difference between the...