How did Thomas Hobbes connect morality to the search for peace?

Thomas Hobbes connected morality to the search for peace by framing it as a rational necessity for survival. In his view, humans are naturally self-interested and exist in a state of nature characterized by a "war of all against all," where life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."12

Because this state of constant conflict is contrary to the fundamental human desire for self-preservation, Hobbes argued that reason dictates a primary law of nature: individuals should seek peace whenever it is attainable. Consequently, all other moral precepts are understood as derivable from this foundational requirement to pursue peace and avoid war.23

However, Hobbes maintained that moral rules cannot be safely followed in the state of nature because there is no guarantee others will do the same. Therefore, morality is only fully realized through a social contract, where individuals transfer their power to a sovereign (the Leviathan). By enforcing agreements and punishing those who breach the peace, the sovereign creates the conditions under which justice and moral behavior become possible and rational for all subjects.13