Quotation
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“I put for a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death.”
Thomas Hobbes · Political philosophy · Early modern · 1651
What does it mean?
The restless reach for power after power is, on his account, often a rational answer to insecurity rather than a simple hunger for more delight. A person cannot be sure of the means to live well without acquiring more, so standing still does not feel safe. A rival reading hears a claim that every human action is domination for its own sake, which is harsher than the explanation he attaches to the inclination. The sentence is his English in Leviathan, chapter 11, and it underwrites the conflict he expects where no umpire exists.
Did Thomas Hobbes really say this?
The library’s label is Well attested. Hobbes's English in Leviathan, chapter 11. He explains that the restless desire is not always a wish for more delight, but a way of assuring the power to live well. The sentence is secure.
Where it comes from
Leviathan, chapter 11
Approximate date: 1651.
How to use it
When a residents' company in Milton Keynes keeps adding cameras and fines, ask whether the growth is bare appetite or the logic he names: security that only feels real if it expands. The question does not settle the cameras. It stops the expansion being described as a mystery of character when it may be a strategy for not losing ground.
A mindset reading
Calling the desire general is a theory of human nature, and it is arguable rather than a diary of every person on the close. Some people do seek power as delight, and he allows that. The distinctive claim is that even a person who would prefer peace may keep reaching, because yesterday's security does not guarantee tomorrow's.
Understand the philosophy
This psychology is part of the road into the state of nature. The key term is power, present means to obtain a future apparent good, so that a restless desire of power is a desire for the means of living well, not only for glory. If everyone moves to secure themselves and there is no umpire, conflict is the expected result. The sentence is secure English from chapter 11.
- power
- self
- society
FAQ
What does it mean?
The restless reach for power after power is, on his account, often a rational answer to insecurity rather than a simple hunger for more delight. A person cannot be sure of the means to live well without acquiring more, so standing still does not feel safe. A rival reading hears a claim that every human action is domination for its own sake, which is harsher than the explanation he attaches to the inclination. The sentence is his English in Leviathan, chapter 11, and it underwrites the conflict he expects where no umpire exists.
Did Thomas Hobbes really say this?
Well attested. Hobbes's English in Leviathan, chapter 11. He explains that the restless desire is not always a wish for more delight, but a way of assuring the power to live well. The sentence is secure.
Which work is it in?
Leviathan, chapter 11 Approximate date: 1651.