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Thomas Hobbes: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Thomas Hobbes, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Without government, Hobbes said, life would be 'nasty, brutish and short'

  Thomas Hobbes argued that without a common authority to enforce order, humans exist in a 'state of nature' defined by constant fear and conflict over scarce resources. His solution…

  — Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

• Even your kindest act might secretly be self-interest wearing a disguise

  Psychological egoism is the claim that every human action, however generous it looks, is ultimately motivated by self-interest: the martyr dies for personal conviction, the donor g…

  — Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

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