The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes: The State of Nature as an Exemplum

In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes's theory of the state of nature serves as an exemplum; an account that legitimizes and argues for the authority of the state, by providing the logic behind sovereignty. The theory illustrates the point that without government, man is in hell (an awful and evil state of nature), where peace, order and liberty are impossible. His purpose in writing the Leviathan, and in describing man's state of nature, should be seen …

…of death" (Lloyd 34). In response to this cause of disorder, Hobbes puts forward a solution to moderate man's transcendent religious interests by reeducation, rather than "set[ting] up a coercive authority powerful enough to make antisocial behavior individually irrational" (Lloyd 27). In relation to Hobbes's overall argument, his theory of the state of nature serves the function of a rhetorical device, which is used to illustrate the consequences that could result from disobedience to the sovereign.