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Chapter 8 Writing Assignment

Chapter 8 Writing Assignment

Q Instructions: Please write a 2-3 page essay answering all parts of the following question. Feel free to use material and ideas from throughout Chapter 8. However, if you choose to use any direct quotes from the chapter, or any other outside sources, then please remember to properly cite that material using MLA format. The use of any outside material without citation will be considered plagiarism and will result in a 0 for the assignment. ________________________________________ Prompt: According to Thomas Hobbes, all individuals are self-interested and competitive. Given this assessment of human nature, what does Hobbes think a state without government, or a state of nature, would be like? How can we get out of this state of nature and what is the role of the social contract in this process? Do you think that Hobbes is correct in his account of the origins of government? PreviousNext

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According to Thomas Hobbes, “humans are selfish and driven by greed” (Velasquez 587). Without government, “life would be a war of every man against every man and solitary, poor, nasty brutish, and short” (Velasquez 587). Without the power of government, Hobbes believed life would be a constant struggle and humans would be miserable. Therefore, Hobbes concluded that people agree to give a ruler the power to force them to live in peace so that they will not have to face such a reality. This also made Hobbes base his political philosophy on the idea that people are not social. Society caves into the idea that humans cannot live in peace without a government more powerful than them to enforce peace.