ther means of safety, than what can be had from his own single power.’ A man, who claims it reasonable to deceive those who help him, can expect no help from others. As a result, any man that breaks a covenant will be regarded as untrustworthy and if he ‘consequently declareth that he thinks he may with reason do so’, he will only be allowed in to a society through the errors of others. Therefore, it appears that it would be better to fulfill covenants and miss opportunities for gain, rather than fighting alone in the state of nature. Hobbes’ final reply to the fool’s statement is that ‘errors a man cannot reasonably reckon upon as the means of his security: and therefore if he be left, or cast out of society, he perishteh.’ The final reply from Hobbes suggest that if a man violates a covenant, it will become known to members of a society and those members will most likely exclude the violator. This occurs because in the ‘constant state of war’, there is a need for security and reliable cooperation between men. To obtain security, man needs protection from other men in society. And the only way to achieve this security, is to grant all power to the state through and absolute sovereign. Without the sovereign, the notions of justice and injustice have no place because there is no one to enforce the covenants. Thus, according to Hobbes reply, sovereigns will not accept unreliable and unjust men who violate agreements because those men risk the security of the state.Hobbes’ reply implies that people are capable of rational cooperation in the state of nature and because this is possible justice prevails. His view that man is in a constant state of nature which generates war, suggests that cooperation among men is necessary, even if it is temporary. Since faithfulness to covenants must always be expected to further self-preservation, a man who reasons correctly will find hims...
