The philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588 –1679) believed human beings were innately competitive, and that this trait ruled our mind. Even if we appear to mingle peaceably with one another, there is always an interior gladiator, ready to thrust and parry its way to a position of personal gain and glorification. Hobbes justified strong government as the only way to prevent the human race from destroying itself in a perpetual war of all against all.
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