Introduction
In the absence of authority, all creatures of the world including mankind would live without anyone dictating how they were to behave and interact. This means that the interaction could only be controlled by the supreme. Due to the lack of the much difference that is present in many countries, the interaction between mankind would improve with each one providing love and affection to others the same way he would like it to be done to him.
According to Hobbes’s view on the laws of nature, despite the freedom endowed to a person, he is not supposed to take away his life. In such cases, there are laws of nature that are responsible for controlling human conduct and interaction. The laws take into account life, possession, and health among the people. Due to a lack of sovereign ownership of property, there is usually a lot of sharing between the people. This usually acts as a way of bonding them together.
All People are Equal
Despite the attributes that may make someone seem better than others, overall all people are almost equal according to nature. Man’s equality is looked into by both Hobbes and Locke. The equality in men may be in strength or experience where a man may believe to be among the best known among other men. Equality usually leads to rivalry especially in cases where the resources are required by many men who cannot simultaneously access them.
Due to this, a man usually looks for ways to make himself secure from all rivals which are usually not achievable. The main aspects causing the differences between men are competition, security, and glory. This is usually prevalent in the case where there is no law governing man’s conduction and interaction with his fellow mankind. The rivalry may lead to war which may be brought to an end due to the repercussions it may have.
Nature Gives Men Freedom
Nature allows man to undertake anything that fits his desire as dictated by his decision. This thus means that no external factors are affecting his decision making. Man is given the chance to do anything that does not have negative effects on him while if there was law, his power and decision making are influenced and sometimes restricted. In this case, he can harm his fellow men as a result of rivalry and wars that arise.
This natural law brings about insecurity in that a man can do anything against his fellow-men which makes every man be a security threat to others. The natural laws advocate for people to live in peace and when the hope of attaining anything varnishes, then man usually is forced to go for it which may result in war. This argument is based on Hobbes.
Do what others do to you
According to these natural laws, man is endowed to do whatever others would do to him. He is not allowed to be on the receiving end from other men. The main aim of this law is to ensure that there is harmony in the interaction between men. Nature gives the right to access various things to all mankind, but the first person who gets the right to anything first is supposed to use it without interference from others. The only way the right changes hands is by him handing it over after which he has no right over it. The handing over of rights is mainly through words or action. In most cases, there are anticipated rewards from the right’s transfer. The transfer of things, in return for others, is usually undertaken for material gain.
Covenants versus Contracts
According to Hobbes, in the conduction of any contract in the absence of a law governing the people, the undertaking of one’s role does not have a confirmation that the other will fulfill his duties. This is contrary to a law-governed contract where one is obliged to undertake his roles failure to which he will be subjected to punishment. Covenants are used to ensure good interaction between the different parties involved.
They are sometimes entered into out of fear from nature. If a new covenant is undertaken then the previous one is nullified. Some of the main reasons making man indulge himself in undertaking his roles in a covenant are fear of the repercussions. The main fear comes from the spirit.
Covenants are very useful in dictating interaction among people. This is mainly because the breaching of any term defines that the undertaking is not valid. In the laws of natural justice, the presence of covenants regulates the conduct of people’s failure to which man is endowed with all the powers to pursue anything depending on his reasoning. The presence of security in the covenant makes it binding. The people who usually break covenants are usually rejected in society. In abiding by the covenant, we do not engage ourselves in anything that would harm us. The ambition to have a better eternal life usually makes the people abide to maintain peace among them.
The law of Giving
Among the other laws of nature is the one regarding giving out. In this regard, a man should give goodwill. This is mainly because giving is usually voluntary. Also, it is observed that man tends to be conservative in whatever he has. This thus means that in his interaction he would try to gain more beyond his requirement. This would lead to the rivalry which could sometimes disrupt peace. Taking into consideration how the future might turn to be, man would usually look for ways to eliminate rivalry that may come up.
Equal responsibilities
Because everyone is equal, then everyone has the responsibility of protecting the law. Thus according to Locke’s opinion, offenders of laws of nature are to be punished by anyone. Everyone has to be responsible in all his undertakings and arbitration is usually not necessary to solve the differences or misunderstandings that may be prevalent. When one offends against the law of nature, he usually breaks the equality. This usually renders him a threat to the whole society and he/she may be deemed to be in a position that may bring evil into society. In some cases, a person may announce that he is not bounded by the law of nature.
This thus makes one harm to another person. The harmed person is usually helped by others to his recovery. In most cases, the injured person is usually the one who demands damages from the offender rather than it being demanded by his fellow men.
Locke’s view on natural law is that each person being the judge may make judgments in favor of his friends as well as very harsh ones for his rivals. This would usually rise to disorders and rivalry between the various parties involved. Despite the challenges that may be present in the governance by the rule of law, it has so many advantages. The bringing together of people and enhancing good interaction between them is usually very rewarding to each of the parties involved as well as the society at large.