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I believe there are many instances where Hobbes view on human Nature would indeed be accurate. Many people are selfish in ways they may not notice and if someone were to get a power or ability that they could use to gain an advantage over the average person like in Plato and Gansberg, most people would use it to their benefit or at least explore their option on what the capabilities of that ability is. But i also believe that there would be some people out there that may stumble across that ring, realize its power and how chaotic it could get if it were to be used, and hide it or destroy it. So i do not believe that all are inherently selfish but most may be and not even notice. Also, Hobbes is completely right in saying that we are emotional creatures and base a lot of our actions on fear or distrust of one another. That's the reason why people do not just go around killing anyone for who insults them or hurts them. That is why people lock their houses and door, because of fear and distrust. You would not go around killing everyone or steal for fear of the consequences put in place by society. And the distrust comes from knowing that many people in the world are indeed inherently selfish in some scenarios. So are all humans inherently selfish ? In my opinion it truly depends on the situation and with deeper thought i came to the conclusion that given the right circumstances most if not all people would turn to selfish actions. For example here at Fisher you would not be tempted to steal food given you have a meal plan and your financial circumstances, there is plenty of food for you to eat. Now lets say you are homeless and impoverished struggling to find your next meal, in this circumstance on the brink of starvation you watch people casually walking in and out the grocery store getting food and then end up stealing some food. Your mentality would change given the circumstance and situation. This is how i see humans and our nature

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Matt, although I do agree with how you do not believe Hobbes's view of nature is accurate, do you think it could be in the middle, of accurate and not accurate? Can this apply to human being sometimes or some not at all, why or why not?

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Julia, does it make a person 'bad or evil' if Hobbes's view on nature can apply to them?

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Hunter do you believe that all human beings apply to Hobbes's view of nature or does it only apply in certain situations/ feelings a person may have during a certain time? Can it apply at some points in their life but not other points?

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I do believe that Hobbes's view of human nature can in some ways be seen as true although there are a lot of individual's who are on the opposite end of the spectrum. As mentioned it is natural for humans to 'seek dominance and demand respect' whether that is on purpose or subliminally it is a common trait shown within humans. I didn't even realize how common it was until discussed through Hobbes's theory. There are some human beings that are inherently selfish but I do not believe that is always the case. I don't necessarily view human beings are demanding respect or seeking dominance more or less they are just in positions that do so. Such as being a firefighter. They help save women, children, men, animals, etc from burning buildings as a living. Any person in that position would expect respect from others. As they should receive it. I also believe knowingly and subliminally this makes the fire fighter feel good about themselves and feel as if they have a purpose in life to help save people. I do not believe that would make a person inherently selfish I just believe that is what a person would value within their life. An example of a person demanding respect or seeking dominance is a corrupt police officer. With everything going on with BLM, there has been more acknowledgment about all of the horrific stories of men and women in ways being abused by the police just because of the color of their skin and I extreme cases killed. These stories all have the common thread of police abusing their power and proving Hobbes's view of nature true. When I think of this view I think of all the police brutality that has finally been brought to the public after all these years of not really hearing about any of these terrifying stories. I believe the concept of human nature is true and that it can apply to some people although it does not apply to everyone because we don't all hold the same values.

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I also do believe that Hobbes view of nature is true in some ways but not all. Although there are a lot of people who do seek and crave to 'dominant others and demand their respect', There are also a lot of individuals on the opposite end of the spectrum who do not value those things as a human being. Although all humans beings not exactly fit Hobbes view of human nature,

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Matthew I agree that we do not act out of just fear and distrust but instead an array of emotions that depends on what situation we are in. I like the BLM movement example you gave because this is something we are seeing directly next to us at Fisher and nationwide. I also like your example of the Red cross because they're known for not helping themselves but instead helping everyone out in need.

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I don't believe that Hobbes views of nature is accurate, though I do agree with some of the points he made throughout "On The State Of Nature." I disagree with his statement "people are all egoists who always act in their own self interest to obtain gratification and avoid harm" because it's a very pessimistic and assuming statement that all of human life lives by the bounds of that statement. I do believe there are many who may think like this some of the time but as a whole I disagree with Hobbes. We do not always act out of fear and distrust, sometimes we do but there is an abundance of other emotions and feelings that we act by just as much if not more. Selfish is a relative word that is completely circumstantial so no I would not say human beings are inherently selfish. Organizations like the Minnesota freedom fund, any Black Lives Matter organization, and many other act solely to help others and choose to do so out of compassion and generosity, not fear or distrust. There are many organization, even charities like the Red Cross who have CEO and high up members of the given non for profit who makes six figures or more, a considerable amount for one person who is meant to represent an organization that is trying to help underprivileged people.  What I believe to be true about human nature is that people want a one solution fits all to every situation, they believe whatever they want if it differs from reality and hide behind behind facades until things eventually work out or catch up to them.

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Julia do you think people are selfish depending on what the situation is and where they came from or they are inherently selfish all the time?

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I do believe Hobbes view of human nature is accurate in the way that we act out of fear and when it comes to this we have an inherently selfish part inside us as he states "human beings are highly emotional creatures who react out of fear and distrust of one another" (Hobbes 42). I may counter Hobbes's position with thinking that some people are inherently good because they want to help the world and not just themselves. For example, a millionaire who after using their fame and likeness using the money they received and donates to charities, helps fight social injustices, or even building schools, parks, and many other things to help the people instead of themselves because helping others makes them feel good. I think that yes most people are inherently selfish and act out of fear and distrust but I do also believe that most people want to do good and are inherently good but have had people use them and now they have trust issues so its hard for them to be fully on board.

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I do believe Hobbes view of human nature is accurate in the way that we act out of fear and when it comes to this we have an inherently selfish part inside us as he states "human beings are highly emotional creatures who react out of fear and distrust of one another" (Hobbes 42). I may counter Hobbes's position with thinking that some people are inherently good because they want to help the world and not just themselves. For example, a millionaire who after using their fame and likeness using the money they received and donates to charities, helps fight social injustices, or even building schools, parks, and many other things to help the people instead of themselves because helping others makes them feel good. I think that yes most people are inherently selfish and act out of fear and distrust but I do also believe that most people want to do good and are inherently good but have had people use them and now they have trust issues so its hard for them to be fully on board.

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After reading Hobbes's article "On the State of Nature", I do believe that his view of human nature is accurate. As he stated in the article, humans are inherently selfish, and the reason why they act in this manner is because we, as human beings, are highly emotional creatures who react out of fear and distrust of one another. Thus, by prioritizing our needs over another's, we can ensure that we can focus on our own safety and well-being. Thus, Hobbes states that during a time of war, it is indeed necessary to be inherently selfish, as  "every man is enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withal... worst of all, [man lives in] continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" (Hobbes, 42-43). However, despite the challenges an individual may face by living in such an inherently selfish and lawless manner, Hobbes argues there is a certain freedom that man gets by living in this way. Thus, Hobbes argues the primary benefit to living in such a brutish and violent world is freedom. In society, this lawless and selfish behavior is not only frowned upon, but it is deemed illegal and harmful to others. Thus, Hobbes states that "to lay down a man's right to any thing, is to divest himself of the liberty, of hindering another of the benefit of his own right to the same. For he that renoucnceth, or passeth his right away, giveth not to any other man a right which he had not before; because there is nothing to which every man had not right by nature; but only standeth out of his way, that he may enjoy his own original right, without hinderance from him; not without hinderance from another" Hobbes, 45). As a result, I agree with Hobbes that human nature is inherently selfish, and that the individual always prioritizes his own well-being, over another's.

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Do you believe that Hobbes’s view of human nature is accurate?  Do we always act out of feelings of fear and distrust?

Are human beings inherently selfish?  What evidence or examples can you offer in support of this view?   What evidence or examples might you offer counter to this position?  What do you think is true about human nature?