What is Hobbes' theory of the state of nature?
The 'state of nature' is a condition without government or any overarching authority. In such a state, human beings, driven by their appetites and aversions, and facing scarcity and competition, would exist in a perpetual 'war of all against all.' Life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' with no industry, culture, or society possible.
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