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WHY IS THE STATE OF NATURE IS THE STATE OF WAR? IS THIS ARGUMENT SOUND? CONVINCING?
Historically, the most important and influential argument for the state has been that advanced by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) with his great work Leviathan (1651). In this book absolutism and authority of a monarch applied into practice again through examinig human nature. Hobbes politics was based on the desire of power and the fear of death. At the very basic level, Hobbes considers the natural condition of human beings to be at the state of war. He argues that human beings are more or less equal and self-interested and the passions cause to think in a subjective way. Thus, “ everyone is governed by his own reason” (pg111, Hobbes). In the state of nature, there is no agreement about any standards of “right reason”. This paper aims to indicate why Hobbes thinks the state of nature is the state of war. In this essay I am going to explain the state of nature; the equality, the vulnerability, the scarcity of the sources and agression of the individuals, selfishness, the desire of power. Afterward I will talk about the principals of quarrel, which are competition, diffidence and glory. Later on I will talk about war. Finally I will show that Hobbes convinces me the state of nature is a cause of state of war, and this theory is sound.
In Leviathan Hobbes used scientific methods, which are rationalist, materialist and deductive methods. The context of Leviathan is Science, English Civil War, Materialism and Determinism. Thomas Hobbes’ view of human nature and psychology played an important role in his writings and arguments. Here we can remind; with the influence of Galileo, Hobbes developed his social philosophy on principles of geometry and especially nature science. He notes that the first part of his project is to describe human nature, in so far as humans are the creators of the state. In his initial discussion “Of Man”, Hobbes applies, as is well known, the new mechanical model of the natural world to an understanding of human psychology. With the invention of watch, machinery had started and men started to consider the world like machines. The net result of this is an understanding of human nature as something driven by mechanical actions to seek happineess and power. “In the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetuall and restlesse desire Power after power, that ceaseth only in death” (pg161, Hobbes). In other words, Hobbes has an extraordinarily reductive view of human beings. They are hungry, acquisitive, destructive, competitive, powerful animals restrained only by fear and desire for pleasure.
State of nature means the situation of mankind’s nature. It is the human condition of having no morality or political arrangements. Hobbes makes a logical chain for indicating how the state of nature occurs. His scientific background helps him to explain the human being. This chain starts from the senses. Hobbes clarifies the importance of senses because we are dependent on them. We cannot think of anything unless we sensed it. The second part of the chain is the imagination. Imaginations accumulate and take form knowledge, wisdoms, which are the third part of the chain. All individuals have the same chance to make developed themselves by learning the universe. This sameness makes another part of the chain, which is equality. Here we can talk about the state of nature. Equality is the most important peculiarity of the state of nature. “Nature hath made men so equal…” (pg183, Hobbes). Now I want to explain the equality of individuals in detail.
Hobbes clarifies the equality of strength as the ability of killing each other. Every individual has an ability to kill in terms of mental or in terms of physical. Hobbes mentions that difference between stronger body and the quicker mind is not considerable. “For as the strength of the body, the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination or by confederacy with others, that are in the same danger with himselfe” (pg183, Hobbes). Here it is obviously stated that every man has enough chance to kill another. At first we can assume that the person which is the strongest beats the weak one nevertheless the clever one may have a technical power of he can have a characteristics of leadership. Therefore he can make a group of people against the strong person and can beat him. In the state of nature men are comparably equal in terms of vulnerability. As I said above both sides of the quarrel have the same chance to be strike. Everyone is capable of or disposed to being wounded or hurt as by a weapon or the power of body.
In the territories which individuals live together, the sources of those lands, the materials that men use are scarce. Moreover, the desires of men are infinitive. If we estimate the ratio of the sources per an individual, we will not consider that there are enough sources. Therefore, there is again an equality of the scarcity of the sources for everybody.
The most important peculiarity of the situation of human kind, the sate of nature, is the egoism. Egoism is the exclusive and self-interestedness of the individual which commonly known as SELFISHNESS. Selfishness is being devoted or caring only for oneself, concerned primarily with one’s own interests, benefits, welfare etc. and regardless of others. Hobbes states that every individual does their own acts because of their selfishness, and their arbitrarily actions. There are not any actions, which can be altruistic. Hence, one of the most important reasons that lead the state of nature to the state of war is selfishness.
According to Hobbes perspective, equal opportunity of individuals proceeds equality of desiring the same hope. Furthermore, they will not be enjoying their passions because there is limited source and if more than one man want it there will be a quarrel. Hobbes explains this point as: “From this equality of ability ariseth equality of hope in the attaining of our Ends” (pg 184). According to my point of view this quatation explains the most important reason that makes the question sound. Because Hobbes mentions killing each other, the death as “our Ends” which we are considering the state of war with the reason of the ability of desiring the same hope, which I explained it one of the most important peculiarity of the state of nature. If we think it according to today’s views we can compare it with a simple example. There are two guys, who love and desire the same girl; they cannot have a good time with the girl because they both know that there is also a rival, who hopes that girl. Every time they seek a position to destroy the other one, even they were close friends at past. Here we can simply understand Hobbes explanation. “And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their end (which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes their delectation only) endeavour to destroy or subdue one another” (pg184, Hobbes). In that quotation we can also understand that the result of equality is distrust, which Hobbes uses diffidence. “From Equality proceeds diffidence”(pg184, Hobbes). In the example above the friends became rivals because of the equality of hope. They started to be suspicious of each other and diffidence gets started.
Now I want to explain the principals of the fight between individuals, which our question also includes. “So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrell. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory” (pg185, Hobbes). However the reason of those features is the state of nature. Thus, the principals of the fight result the inevitable end, which is the state of war. Here we can also consider that the theory is so sound.
Competition is the acts of compete between rivals to win the prize, which is given to the winner. Competition arises when two or more peole want the same thing. In the state of nature, the equality leads a competition between the competitors. Those competitors have equal chance to win. Furthermore this competition aims to gain power, to have all sources and to get alive. In this antagonism there is cruelty because everyone knows that if they do not kill the others they will be the next victims. The consideration of fear of death -“will I be the next”- leads individuals to kill the others. Moreover, Hobbes also states that there is an “Invade” to reach desires. In that competition there is also a struggle to gain power. “So that in the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power” (pg 161, Hobbes). To win this contest everybody will want to have a large group of people, which will show their enormity. We can call this hugeness as Mastership. “To make themselves masters of other men's persons, wives, children, and cattle” (pg185 Hobbes). Therefore, the rivals will know that the powerful competitors will only exist in this struggle. Here, again we can simply appreciate the theory convinces us.
Diffidence is the state of being diffident, distrust, want of confidence and doubt of the power, ability, or disposition of others. In the competition human beings look their rivals and they think any attack could be come from other competitors who are their enemies therefore they attack before them. Hobbes highlights that point as in the human nature there is no moral behaviors. At first we think that it is so brutal to kill other people but if we look at the state of human nature we will consider a huge fight to exist in life and to find food. Hobbes clarifies the diffidence as: “And from this diffidence of one another, there is no way for any man to secure himself so reasonable as ANTICIPATION” (pg184, Hobbes). Nobody trusts other people in that quarrel. Confidence is so significant for individuals for acting without restraint. If there is no trust then everybody will have panic every time, because of the fear of death. As I said above they will always think as “will I be the next?” Therefore they will desire to prevent their death. Hence, they will kill the others to provide their existence and obtain security. That is another principal cause of state of war. And again we comprehend the soundness of Hobbes conjecture.
Glory is praise, honor, admiration, or distinction, accorded by common consent to a person or thing, high reputation, honorable fame and renown. According to state of nature individuals are selfish. In selfishness men want to be praised by everybody. “Desire of praise disposeth to laudable actions, such as please them whose judgement they value; for of those men whom we contemn, we contemn also the praises” (pg163, Hobbes). Individuals want to seem the best as working to do praised acts of all people even this act is imitating the others. Every individual believe that he or she is the great. There is no other person that is better than him/her. They believe they are the cleverest person in the world. Hobbes states this peculiarity as: “…almost all men think they have in a greater degree than the vulgar; that is, than all men but themselves, and a few others, whom by fame, or for concurring with themselves, they approve” (pg184, Hobbes). They cannot accept other entities that are better than them. Hobbes simply highlights this as: “yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves; for they see their own wit at hand, and other men's at a distance” (pg184, Hobbes). Therefore we can understand that individual wants reputation, he/she wants everybody to say his/her name loudly to all over the world and he/she does many things including brutality. According to contemporary society values we can compare this argument with several famous political parties in some of the countries. The leaders of those parties make so many things to be voted by everyone. They even make illegal operations to seem good and to acquire power over power. They also adjust defamation to other parties. This libel can be considered as a war according to Hobbes’ point of view.
The real point we must ask is why glory is a reason of war. The glory aims power after power and power gives mankind happiness. Mankind wants that power to master people. To gain glory mankind does so many things. But the only body who cares about glory is not he. There are other entities that seek glory in the competition. There are also other persons that desire to master other people. Thus we can understand that glory is also an important reason for quarrel in the enhancement of the state of war. This argument shows that Hobbes argument is so sound.
Finally, we can review the main points of the state of nature and make a connection between the state of nature and the state of war. In the previous paragraphs I stated that there was a logical chain in the branches of the state of nature. That chain carries on from wisdom to equality, distrust, power, and war. Hobbes makes a link between the power and war in that chain. “Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called warre; and such a warre as is of every man against every man”(pg185, Hobbes). If there is not a common power between all powers there will be a conflict, which I mentioned above as quarrel. Because equality leads freedom and the freedoms leads diffidence. Additionally a competition of powers appears. If those powers use their rights arbitrarily, a huge war explodes. Hobbes declares this idea –the reason of war- as a lack of common power. But if we look the previous stages –the logical chain- we will consider that the major reason of the state of war is the state of nature. State of nature is a state of war “of every man against every man” where life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”.
To sum up we can simply be concerned about Hobbes general arguments and we can simply answer that question. The state of nature is the state of war. And that argumentation is so sound and strong; it convinces me that the state of nature is a state of war. Circumstances of individuals are the natural characteristics of mankind, which Hobbes refers to the state of nature. Everybody has equal position, which comes from the equality in terms of mental and physical and carries on the equality of hopes and the equality of killing each other. Thus we can understand the state of nature is the state of war.
Bibliography
1- Hobbes, Thomas. The Leviathan, Penguin Books, London, 1985.
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