Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Hobbes believe people would agree to a social contract?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Code of Hammurabi diorite stela, with carved figures at the top showing Hammurabi seated with cuneiform inscriptions below. — Political philosophy Diorite stela inscribed with the Code of Hammurabi, 18th century bce.

In political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes argued that individuals would agree to a social contract out of rational self-interest to escape the state of nature.12

Hobbes described the state of nature as a condition of constant competition for wealth, security, and glory, resulting in a "war of all against all." In this state, there is no industry or civilization, and human life is famously "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Because individuals are rational, they recognize that this perpetual anarchy threatens their survival.2314

To secure peace and physical safety, individuals agree to a social contract where they collectively transfer their right of self-government to a sovereign. This sovereign—the Leviathan—is empowered to enforce the contract by punishing those who breach it, thereby making justice and social order possible. Ultimately, people accept this absolute authority because it is the only effective insurance against the constant danger of violent death.423