THEORY OF NATURAL LAW IN THE VIEW OF THOMAS HOBBES.

1. My Introduction
● Name: FATIMA SHOAIB
● Education: INTER IN BUSINESS STUDIES
FROM PGC ( super model session)
● Hobbies : READING,WRITING
JOURNAL,PAINTING,GAMING,EXPLORIN
● Life Goal : SERVING MY COUNTRY (Passing
CSS exam).

2. ● The term 'natural law' is derived from the belief that human morality comes from
nature. Everything in nature has a purpose, including humans. In short, any law
that is good is moral, and any moral law is good.
● Natural law is a philosophy asserting that certain rights are inherent by virtue of
human nature, endowed by nature—traditionally by God —and that these can
be understood universally through human reason.
● These laws exists naturally and are not made by man.
● It is Universal.
NATURAL LAW
LAW:
the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as
regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition
of penalties.

3. THOMAS HOBBES(1588-1679)
● Thomas hobbes was born on April 5,1588 in
Westport.
● He received his college education at Oxford
University in England, where he studied
classics. He was one of the founders of
modern political philosophy.
● During his time outside of England, Hobbes
became interested in why people allowed
themselves to be ruled and what would be
the best form of government for England.

4. ● Hobbes believed that humans were basically selfish creatures who would do
anything to better their position.
● Left to themselves, he thought, people would act on their evil impulses.
According to Hobbes, people therefore should not be trusted to make
decisions on their own.
● In addition, Hobbes felt that nations, like people, were selfishly motivated.
● To Hobbes, each country was in a constant battle for power and wealth.
● Governments were created, according to Hobbes, to protect people from their
own selfishness and evil.
● The best government was one that had the great power of a leviathan, or sea
monster.
● Hobbes believed in the rule of a king because he felt a country needed an
authority figure to provide direction and leadership.

5. NATURAL LAW AND SOCIAL CONTRACT
THEORY
● Because the people were only interested in promoting their own self-
interests, Hobbes believed democracy - allowing citizens to vote for
government leaders - would never work.
● To escape this people would enter into a social contract:
they would give up their freedom in return for the safety and order of an
organized society.
● "All mankind [is in] a perpetual and restless desire for power,that [stops]
only in death." Consequently, giving power to the individual would create a
dangerous situation that would start a "war of every man against every
man" and make life "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

6. ● “ Despite his distrust of democracy, Hobbes believed that a diverse group of
representatives presenting the problems of the common person would,
hopefully, prevent a king from being cruel and unfair.
● HOBBES PHILOSOPHY:
● Throughout his life, Hobbes believed that the only true and correct form
of government was the absolute monarchy. He argued this most
forcefully in his landmark work, Leviathan. This belief stemmed from the
central tenet of Hobbes' natural philosophy that human beings are, at
their core, selfish creatures.

7. ` LEVIATHAN
● Leviathan was written during the English Civil War;
much of the book is occupied with demonstrating
the necessity of a strong central authority to
avoid the evil of discord and civil war.
● In it, he argued that people were naturally wicked
and could not be trusted to govern. Therefore,
Hobbes believed that an absolute monarchy - a
government that gave all power to a king or queen -
was best.

8. NATURAL LAW BY HOBBES
● As used by Hobbes in his treatises Leviathan and De Cive,
● Natural Law is a precept or general rule,found out by reasons, by which a
man is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life,or takes away
the means of preserving the same and to omit that by which he thinks it may
be preserved.
● A "Law of Nature" is a general rule that is discovered through reason. Such a
law affirms human self-preservation and condemns acts destructive to human
life. ... Having described the horrors of the state of nature, in which fear reigns
supreme, Hobbes concludes that natural man, in order to preserve life, must
seek peace.
(Leviathan)

9. Question arises:
Does hobbes believed in Natural law?
Unlike Aquinas, Hobbes does not believe that men are ordered to natural
ends, nor does he agree that human beings strive for happiness. ... Hobbes
believes that in the state of nature: “Nothing can be unjust. The notions of
right and wrong, justice and injustice, have there no place.
This concludes that the natural law is:
GOOD TO BE DONE AND EVIL TO BE AVOIDED.

10. THOMAS HOBBES 19 LAWS OF NATURE
● The first Law of nature is that every man ought to endeavour peace, as far
as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may
seek and use all helps and advantages of war.
● The second Law of nature is that a man be willing, when others are so too,
as far forth, as for peace, and defence of himself he shall think it necessary,
to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty
against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.
● The third Law is that men perform their covenants made. In this law of nature
consisteth the fountain and original of justice… when a covenant is made,
then to break it is unjust and the definition of injustice is no other than
the not performance of covenant. And whatsoever is not unjust is just.

11. ● The fourth Law is that a man which receiveth benefit from another of mere
grace, endeavour that he which giveth it, have no reasonable cause to repent
him of his good will. Breach of this law is called ingratitude.
● The fifth Law is complaisance: that every man strive to accommodate
himself to the rest. The observers of this law may be called sociable; the
contrary, stubborn, insociable, froward, intractable.
● The sixth Law is that upon caution of the future time, a man ought to
pardon the offences past of them that repenting, desire it.
● The seventh Law is that in revenges, men look not at the greatness of the
evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow.
● The eighth Law is that no man by deed, word, countenance, or gesture,
declare hatred or contempt of another. The breach of which law is
commonly called contumely.

12. ● The ninth Law is that every man acknowledge another for his equal by
nature. The breach of this precept is pride.
● The tenth law is that at the entrance into the conditions of peace, no man
require to reserve to himself any right, which he is not content should be
reserved to every one of the rest. The breach of this precept is arrogance,
and observers of the precept are called modest.
● The eleventh law is that if a man be trusted to judge between man and man,
that he deal equally between them.
● The twelfth law is that such things as cannot be divided, be enjoyed in
common, if it can be; and if the quantity of the thing permit, without stint;
otherwise proportionally to the number of them that have right.

13. ● The thirteenth law is the entire right, or else…the first possession (in the
case of alternating use), of a thing that can neither be divided nor enjoyed in
common should be determined by lottery.
●
The fourteenth law is that those things which cannot be enjoyed in common,
nor divided, ought to be adjudged to the first possessor; and in some cases
to the first born, as acquired by lot.
●
The fifteenth law is that all men that mediate peace be allowed safe conduct.
●
The sixteenth law is that they that are at controversie, submit their Right to
the judgement of an Arbitrator.

14. ● The seventeenth law is that no man is a fit Arbitrator in his own cause.
● The eighteenth law is that no man should serve as a judge in a case if
greater profit, or honour, or pleasure apparently ariseth [for him] out of the
victory of one party, than of the other.
● The nineteenth law is that in a disagreement of fact, the judge should not
give more weight to the testimony of one party than another, and absent other
evidence, should give credit to the testimony of other witnesses.
● HOBBES GENERAL PRINCIPLES FROM HIS LAWS OF NATUIRE:
● The people pursue only their own self interest,
● The equality of people ,
● The causes of quarrel ,
● The natural condition of war,
● The motivation of peace.

15. HOBBES QUOTATIONS
❏ Curiosity is the lust of the mind.
❏ No arts; no letters; 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.
❏ It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law.

16. ● Hobbes inspiration : ANTONIO NEGRI
● Hobbes Opponents: JOHN BRAHM HALL, JOHN WALLS, ATHEISM
● LAST WORDS:
● "I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark."
● HOBBES died on DEC 4,1679 IN UK.

17. REFERENCES:
● http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/nature/hobbe s-bio.html
● http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/nature/hobbe s-quotes.html
● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes
● Notes by Mam Beata polok.
● Thomas Hobbes book LEVIATHAN .