I perhaps should have put Hobbes in the “Wednesday History Note” section, but I thought his words deserved more focus. I think Thomas Hobbes has gotten short shrift over the years. The founders were more enamored with John Locke who took the more positive approach to human nature, and through the years the love-affair with the “humans are naturally good” philosophy has always been more popular.
Not too hard to figure that out. We humans don’t like having our faults and flaws pointed out. We would prefer the teacher who just gives out “A” grades with no work demanded. We want the quick fix, if we admit there is any error at all.
Hobbes, by contrast, points out that in the end, the human is a being focused on self. He writes “For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves: For they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance. But this proveth rather that men are in that point equall, than unequall. For there is not ordinarily a greater signe of the equall distribution of any thing, than that every man is contented with his share.”
I know, I know…old English…but I wanted to give it to you directly from Hobbes. His point is that humans will “hardly believe” anyone is really wiser than themselves. So, in that, all are equal…equally focused on self and whatever is best for self.
This then leads to conflict between humans, in our natural state. “if any two men desire the same thing, which neverthelesse they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their End, (which is principally their owne conservation, and sometimes their delectation only,) endeavour to destroy, or subdue one an other.”
The reasons are principally three: “So that in the nature of man, we find three principall causes of quarrel. First, Competition; Secondly, Diffidence; Thirdly, Glory. The first, maketh men invade for Gain; the second, for Safety; and the third, for Reputation. The first use Violence, to make themselves Masters of other men’s persons, wives, children, and cattell; the second, to defend them; the third, for trifles, as a word, a smile, a different opinion, and any other signe of undervalue, either direct in their Persons, or by reflexion in their Kindred, their Friends, their Nation, their Profession, or their Name.”
So, whether to gain more for ourself in competition with others, or to protect ourself from threat or finally to build up our own reputation…we operate in our own best self-interest. Unless…
For Hobbes, the “unless” was if there was a power, a centralized governing power to “overawe” everyone in a civic society. This power, to Hobbes, should be set-up by all, thus by agreement instituted by laws. However, I would argue there could be another way. If the core nature of the human were changed through some civilizing process.
Now, I don’t really think any such “civilizing process” can merely exist on its own, something merely created by humans. Instead, such a process would only have effect if it were created from on high, from a power beyond human, with the ability through said process to actually change our nature leading us to other conclusions than conflict and war. If you’ve read my blog much, you probably know I am heading towards the power of the Christian God. That idea, of transforming the human through the renewing of the mind, an act done by the power of God, is exactly what Jesus came to do.
We can see, though, that the doom of our society is that we have removed both the transformative power of Christianity and also make the government not a Leviathan to fear but a “sugar daddy” to give us “bread and circuses” to keep us in a drunken stupor. We wonder why there is more apparent violence, more mass killings and more argumentation between people. We wonder why…when its very clear that we are reverting away from civilization and towards the Hobbesian natural state of conflict and war. There is no transformative power of grace from the Christian God because our culture, especially in the power of the media elite, that there is no such God. And there is no “overawe” from the Leviathan because we have chosen to believe in the “we are all good” mantra from Locke (and Progressives). If we are all good, then the central government should really just provide things for us.
We are on the precipice of disaster. We have spent the last 30-50 years enshrining the individual. We have eliminated the community. We have said the only good is “me and what I want.” Violence and war, as Hobbes declared, is our coming reality. It’s not a good place to be. The way back is simple…peace through Jesus. Let Him again begin the transformation necessary to bring us to a civilized place.