The Bible, Thomas Hobbes, and the State of nature : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

This discussion of the philosophic State of Nature examines the original state of man within the context of the Bible and the philosophic thought of Thomas Hobbes. From man's original condition, as recorded in the book of Genesis, the discussion turns to an explanation of the fall of man and the fallen nature of man. The fallen nature of man is incorporated into the explanation of Hobbes's State of Nature, as this work seeks to establish that Hobbes's political thought is based on the study of the fallen nature of man. Finally, there is an explanation of the solution offered by Hobbes for the State of Nature, which he describes war-like, and there is a Biblical solution offered concerning the fallen nature of man.