Hobbes, on the other hand wrote in
Leviathan(Part 1, Chapter 11)
In the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. And the cause of this is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight than he has already attained to, or that he cannot be content with a moderate power, but because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more.
In
De Cive he also had another famous quote, "
Homo Homini Lupus" or in English, "Man is a wolf to man." In Hobbes’ view, men prey on each other in order to secure ever increasing amounts of power so that they may live however they choose. Hobbes refers to the “war of all against all”, illustrating how he conceptualized the state of nature. Hobbes believed that it was natural for all of these things to occur – without intervention from a stronger power, Man would be beholden to an endless and futile cycle of war and destruction.
Getting back to Leviathan, Hobbes described human existence (Part 1, Chapter 13) - "the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." He went on to say in the same chapter - “The passions that incline men to peace are: fear of death; desire of such things as are necessary to commodious living; and a hope by their industry to obtain them. And reason suggesteth convenient articles of peace upon which men may be drawn to agreement.”
Hobbes believed there was a "right of nature" (
jus naturale, which he said "is the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life". He then went on to talk about laws of nature (
lex naturalis) which "is a precept, or general rule, found out by reason, by which a man is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same, and to omit that by which he thinketh it may be best preserved." Basically
jus naturale was the cause of Man's eternal conflict and thus had to be limited by
lex naturalis.
Hobbes came up with nine things that fall under the category of
lex naturalis (the first two are the most important):
I. That every man ought to endeavor peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use all helps and advantages of war.
II. That a man be willing, when others are so too, as far forth as for peace and defence of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down his right to all things; and be contended with so much liberty against other men as he would allow other men against himself.
III. That men perform their covenants made.
IV. That a man which receiveth benefit from another of mere grace endeavour that he which giveth it have no reasonable cause to repent him of his good will.
V. That every man strive to accommodate himself to the rest.
VI. That upon caution of a future time, a man ought to pardon the offences past of them that, repenting, desire it.
VII. That in revenges (that is, retribution of evil for evil) men look not at the greatness of the evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow.
VIII. That no man by deed, word, countenance, or gesture, declare hatred or contempt of another.
IX. That every man acknowledge another for his equal by nature.
Hobbes thought these wouldn't be enough to control man, since anyone who decided to ignore them would have a decisive advantage against those who held to them (Chapter 13):
“To this war of every man against every man, this also is consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice.”
Hobbes believed that in order to maintain peace, there would have to be a common authority that could enforce
lex naturalis and the laws of society in general, punishing those who violate either. Hobbes therefore posited that a Commonwealth would be necessary; a government upon which the power, will, and authority of Man would be invested. Hobbes believed that this authority would by necessity be invested in either one man or one assembly of men, whether this be through force of arms or through voluntary acquiescence of power to another. Hobbes believed that this was more than a mere agreement, writing in Chapter 16 :
…it is a real unity of them all in one and the same person … in such a manner as if every man should say to every man: I authorize and give up my right of governing myself to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition; that thou give up, thy right to him, and authorize all his actions in like manner.