How Is Hobbes' Political Philosophy a Solution to His Moral Relativism?

Relativism is the belief that there are no absolute criteria stating what is right or wrong, but rather, right and wrong are decided by an individual's subjective opinion or by a group of individuals, namely a society. This is how Hobbes perceived reality and his Political Philosophy is his attempt to explain how humanity has dealt with the fact that it found itself, by default, in a state of moral relativism. Moral Relativism is encapsulated within Hobbes' idea of the 'State of Nature' which is the state of humanity before it created an artificial society. By examining Hobbes' State of nature we will better understand the impact of Moral Relativism and where his Political Philosophy fits in as a solution to it.

According to Hobbes, the State of Nature is the primary condition of humanity. In this condition humanity lacks government or any political

authority because man is not a social being. In the State of Nature, humanity lives in a similar way as times of war were all men are

enemies of each other, in which each person's desires are different from the other and conflict is constant. Hobbes describes the State of Nature as one with: ''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.''

This human condition is the effect of its cause, i.e. Moral Relativism. Since, in the State of Nature there is no distinction between good and bad there is no order. With the absence of a common authority there is no law, and without law there is no justice or injustice. Private Property is difficult to be maintained due to the fact that in such a condition without any individual rights everything belongs to the person who is able to take possession of it and keep it for himself. Consequently, there would be no aim for work, cultivation of the arts, navigation or commerce, or any kind of social activity. According to Hobbes, humanity's solution to the State of Nature is a Social Contract. Due to each individuals continual fear of a violent death, brought about by this state, man understands that it is to their advantage that they reach some sort of agreement that would allow them to live with some amount of security. Although political authority and a state are artificial, the agreement of setting up a government is necessary since without some sort of government humanity will remain in the State of Nature. Hobbes refers to this conventional agreement as the Social Contract.

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