Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was a 17th-century English philosopher best known for his political theory. He believed that in a natural state, human life without government would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" due to inherent self-interest and competition. To escape this chaos, people enter a social contract, agreeing to form a government that provides order and security. Hobbes argued for a strong, centralized authority, often a monarchy, to maintain peace and prevent conflict, emphasizing the need for control to ensure societal stability. His ideas laid foundational concepts for modern political philosophy.