10:25am: (And He Said It In 1651!)
Thomas Hobbes
Born 5 April 1588 Wiltshire, England
Died 4 Dec 1679 Derbyshire, England
Hobbes interest in science and Euclidean Geometry led him to surmise it must be possible "to extend such deductive certainty to a comprehensive science of man and society." He therefore set out to write a comprehensive treatise on the origin and ends of government, and wrote Leviathan in 1651 (link is to full text of Leviathan). It has been called the sole masterpiece of political philosophy in the English language. (See this link for a good summary of Hobbes philosophy, his bio and some prominent quotes.)
Germane in light of current events in the Middle East is Hobbes chilling account of Pre-Social Man, without the restraints of civilization, society, and government to control his natural aggressions:
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 war; and such a war as is of every man against every man. For war consisteth not in battle only, or the act of fighting, but in a tract of time, wherein the will to contend by battle is sufficiently known: and therefore the notion of time is to be considered in the nature of war, as it is in the nature of weather. For as the nature of foul weather lieth not in a shower or two of rain, but in an inclination thereto of many days together: so the nature of war consisteth not in actual fighting, but in the known disposition thereto during all the time there is no assurance to the contrary. All other time is peace.
Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. (Leviathan, see Chapter XIII)
A final note of interest, Hobbes last words: I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.
Posted by cronish at April 05, 2002 11:01 AM