Hobbes and Psychological Egoism Storm Patterson University ofEdinburgh
In traditional discourse, commentators on Hobbes’ political and moral philosophy have categorized his work as having roots in psychological egoism. Psychological egoism asserts, “All human action when properly understood can be seen to be motivated by selfish-desires” (Feinberg 2008 520). It is crucial to point out that “when understood properly,” signifies any appearance of concern for another’s happiness (a psychological egoist would claim) is merely a means to one’s own happiness. Thus, psychological egoism rules out the existence ofaltruistic and benevolent actions or desires. Psychological egoism asserts that humans are not capable ofany other motive than essentially one grounded by their own self-interest. (Feinberg 521). Hobbes’ account of“conflict in the state ofnature” may initially seem to presuppose psychological egoism. Hobbes intended to develop an understanding ofhuman nature that holds an inherent prescription oflaws ofnature, the cornerstone ofwhich is our desire for self-preservation. For Hobbes, the state ofnature is that state which is without government. In De Cive, Hobbes presents the state of nature as a natural and primitive state; “consider men as ifbut even now sprung out ofthe earth, and suddenly (like mushrooms) come to full maturity, without all kinds ofengagement to each other” (quoted in Gert 1967, 515). For Hobbes, even moral rules are inventions ofsociety; they are all part ofan acquired education, thus not present in the state ofnature. The notion that a sense ofmorality must be teachable is alluded to in doctrines ofpsychological egoism. Psychological egoism would assert, “Children are made to acquire the civilising virtues only by the method ofenticing rewards and painful punishments” (Feinberg 521). This assumes children, as an exemplar ofhumanity’s natural state, are essentially unsociable creatures that need a coercive education to adopt a moral psyche. Hobbes does command that children are good exemplars of the natural state ofman or that an education makes man fit for society. However it does not follow that he is embracing the foregoing egoist claim. Hobbes does not claim humans are naturally unsociable beings; “men (even nature compelling) desire to come together” (Gert, 515). The basics ofhumanity’s state ofnature may not lead to psychological egoism, but it is Hobbes’ pessimistic assumptions ofunavoidable conflict in the state ofnature, that often leads to discussion about themes ofegoism. In the state ofnature each person holds a right to self-preservation, and without a consensus ofmorality, there is an unlimited possibility ofjudgement that could be deemed crucial for selfpreservation (Lloyd and Sreedhar 2002). This consequentially leads to a great fear ofattack, and even the least suspecting will resolve this fear by a pre-emptive attack upon others, leading humanity in the state ofnature into a state ofwar. In the state ofnature, without coercive power, laws, or government, life for man was “solitary, poor, nasty brutish and short” (Hobbes, 54). In Leviathan, Hobbes speaks of