Thomas Hobbes Quote and Significance
According to Thomas Hobbes, while the rules of nature, including the laws of nature, as justice, equity, modesty, mercy, and, in sum, doing to others as we would be done to, of themselves, guide human coexistence, they are only practical when there are underlying reasons for them to be observed. Hobbes, explain that the reasons that would compel individuals to follow these rules include negative factors such as terror, as individuals fear facing consequences that would befall them. In the absence of the terror that is inflicted of the people, Hobbes argues that individual would recede to achieve personal interests, which, according to Hobbes, contradict the rules of nature. He believes that the creation of rules to guide human coexistence does not guarantee peace and that people would only seek to embrace peace after the negative consequences of war.
The significance of the quote, with regards to the government that Thomas Hobbes advocates for, is that it is focused on elaborating on the inherent nature of man humans, which according to Hobbes, is naturally selfish. The argument presented by Hobbes is that humans exist in a natural state in which they will seek to engage in any mean s possible to achieve their self-interest at the expense of others. The self-interest is held above the rules of nature. People would choose war in the pursuit of self-interest. Having an absolute Monarchy, according to Hobbes, presents the only means of ensuring peace as the individuals would e forced to adhere to the rules of the leader in fear of facing a negating consequence. The quote details the importance of self-interesting, suggesting that the only time in which individuals will compromise the achievement of self-interest is in the case that there is the likelihood of a negative consequence.