A. Some detail about chap. XIII not covered last time:

1. Pp. 183-5, summarized at p. 185: three "principall causes of Quarrell," competition, diffidence (lack of trust), and "glory." Central is lack of trust; that's what makes it pointless to work at improving one's life (because there's no basis for confidence that one's fellow human beings will allow one to enjoy the fruits of one's labor).

2. Note that a state of war needn't involve constant fighting (pp. 185-6); just that it's known that people will resort to violence if they think it necessary to further their own interests.

3. P. 188: there is no injustice in the state of nature. There is injustice only where there is law, so only where there is political organization. This is how Hobbes can say (p. 187) that he doesn't "accuse mans nature" (i.e. that he doesn't pass an adverse moral judgment) in his words describing it.

B. Chaps. XIV and XV, on the laws of nature:

1. Laws of nature in the relevant sense are the "convenient Articles of Peace" that reason suggests, according to the end of chap. XIII (p. 188). (The important laws are the two in chap. XIV and the first one, with its rationale, in chap. XIV.)

2. They are based on the "right of nature," which is the right to do whatever it takes to preserve one's own life (p. 189). In the state of nature, this right is unlimited (p. 190: "every man has a Right to every thing; even to one anothers body"). It follows that in the state of nature one's chances of preserving one's life as long as physiology etc. would allow (i.e. living to old age) are slim (p. 190; this reaffirms "the life of man … short" at p. 186). If the right is unlimited, this spoils our prospects of achieving the goal (self-preservation) that gives the very point of the right in the first place.

3. If there are ways of improving those prospects, reason doesn't just suggest (p. 188), but positively requires, that we adopt them. That's the status of the laws of nature: rational necessities sustained by the overriding importance of the goal of self-preservation.

4. The first (fundamental) law: seek peace if possible. (If not, do whatever it takes to preserve yourself; but this will be acquiescing in the state of nature.)

5. Is peace possible? Only if everyone agrees to renounce the right of nature (a right to everything), and claim only as extensive a right against others as is compatible with their having equally extensive rights against oneself. So the second law of nature dictates that we do that.

C. Hold over more about these readings until next lecture.

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