Hobbes is clearly a determinist. He believes that every event in nature is sufficiently caused by previous causes and that insufficiently event simply do not exist. Because all events in nature are sufficiently caused, this means that events are not free. Of course, human actions are also events in nature and thus humans are not free. Therefore, other than being slightly more sophisticated, humans are no different from an animal or a machine.
I suppose I would have to classify myself as a determinist. I completely agree with Hobbes on this. Humans can hardly argue that their actions are free. Every little even in nature influences our life. In third grade, I caught the flu and missed a week of school where we learned how to multiply. Now, I completely suck at math which limits what professions I am capable of practicing.
From these theories, Hobbes will go on to discuss the state of nature and political society. He explains that there are two types of motion: Vital and Endevour. Endevour will further breakdown into Appetite (Love and “good”) and Aversion (Hate and “evil”). Even though it may be particularly hard to grasp in today’s society, good and evil are non-existent without a government to tell you what good is and what evil is. Instead they are soley the preference of the speaker. Hobbes explains that all voluntary motion is self-interested and motivated by Psychological egoism.
Even though I find it incredibly difficult to grasp that good and evil would be merely a preference without governmental involvement, I suppose I could understand how that would be true. The only reason I believe something is good or bad is because I was taught that it was either good or bad. Without someone telling me what was good or bad, I believe that my preferences would be very different from what they are today. However, I disagree that ALL voluntary motion is self-interested and motivated by psychological egoism. I would believe that most voluntary motion is motivated by self-interest but I think that there are always exceptions.
The state of nature that Hobbes goes on to describe can only occur in pre-political conditions. Psychological egoism, scarcity of goods, equality of need/desire, and equality of power all are essential players in the state of nature. We, as humans, also have a right of nature which is the liberty to use all ones natural power for self-preservation and the persuit of ones own perceived good. The result of this are constant competition and “The war of each against all”. This can be translation that the state of nature is the state of war. Thankfully, there is a remedy for this. Humans have an innate fear of death and a desire for security.
From this, our rationality comes to suggest laws of nature. The two laws of nature are to seek peace and follow it and a mutual limiting of rights so long as it is mutually beneficial to do so. These laws of nature will allow us to give up one’s excercise of natural right to a sovereign power which will enforce compliance with natural law. The only limit on the sovereigns power will be that if the sovereign makes conditions worse than they would be in the state of nature, the people will over throw him. The need for an absolute monarch is justified because without an absolute monarch there would be chaos and we would kill each other. It is then clear, that political institutions are set up in the interest of the people.
