wouldn’t give the money back because no one saw you and the man doesn’t know about it. I don’t think that rational prudence is sufficient enough for social relations. Because if everyone were making a rational decision then everyone would be trying to take advantage of each other because it is human nature to be self interested. Self-interest is not something that we can help; it is just the way we are. It is more like self-welfare than self interest because you are only doing what is in your nature. Reason why we lock our doors and get alarms is because people try to take advantage of a situation. Most people would say that an act such as not returning the twenty dollars, is a selfish act. If you look at it as if you have the same right to any thing as the next guy then you have the right to the money even though it really isn’t yours.J. Dylan BeazleyTeacher: T. Parrish mid-term part II03/05/01Hobbes’s notion of self-interest comes from the basis that in the state of nature very thing is based upon self-interest. Because it is in our nature to be self-interested, Hobbes sees it as taking care of yourself rather than being selfish. “Because it is vain for a man to have a right to the end, if the right to the necessary means be denied him, it follow, that since every man hath a right to preserve himself, he must also be allowed a right to use all the means, and do all the action, without which he cannot preserve himself” (110). This is our nature to use all means and action to get what we need and want this is were a civil society come it to play. With our laws and common understanding of the laws we act civil because it is in our best interest. Being moral or civil can gain you the help that you need to get what you want. I think that Hobbes is trying to point out that as long as you don’t go around killing people or intentionally hurting people to get what you want then in civi...
