Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher and one of the founding fathers of contemporary
political philosophy. Hobbes' main focus was not on international relations, but his
descriptions of human nature, ideas of the state and anarchy, and emphasis on politics as a
power struggle impacted Classical realism theory. Hobbes is regarded as one of the founding
fathers of political realism.

International relations, according to Political Realism, are primarily a conflict between self-
interested, sovereign states engaged in a power-politics game inside a perpetual state of
anarchy. According to this school of thought, the international system is a moral environment
in which the state is viewed as a rational and unitary actor which, due to the lack of an overall
world government, finds itself in perpetual conflict with the other states of the system.
Political realism believes that the only way to establish stability in the international system is
to create a Balance of Power among the system's most powerful governments, which stems
from their pessimistic view of human nature.

Some of the main realism ideas, such as the condition of anarchy, are included in Thomas
Hobbes' concept of the 'State of Nature.' He recognizes that society is bound to anarchy and
"every man versus every man" warfare without a global administration. Hobbes, on the other
hand, rejects the notion that the strong decide the international system's order in such
circumstances. Every man is equal, according to his 'State of Nature' theory, therefore the
weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by covert ploys or by union with
others who are in the same danger as himself.  According to Hobbes, the order is maintained
by a universal rule of reason, which states that every man needs to seek peace, and that
because all men are equal in strength and appetites, this principle will be followed as long as
one's own security is not jeopardized. This leads to the realism claim of an international
system devoid of morality and values.

According to Hobbes, there are general principles of reason that apply to everyone in the
international system, creating a moral standard to follow. Hobbes, although acknowledging
that humans are capable of evil, places a greater focus on alternative solutions to the problem.
According to Hobbes, people have a great and persistent need for peace, and as a result, they
will always utilize their power to achieve some future apparent Good. He also contends that
in an international system without an overriding authority, peace and security can only be
attained via collaboration among governments and individuals.