The Hobbesian Notion of Self-Preservation Concerning Human Behavior during an Insurgency

S cholars generally reference Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan for theories in international politics. Specifically, scholars subscribe to the concept of international anarchy and the pursuit of survival to explain state behavior. Since Hobbes lived through the English Civil War (1642-1651), his observations arguably could be a reflection of insurgency warfare rather than interstate conflict. In fact, the relevant passages in Leviathan to which this article refers connote a concern with domestic conflict vice external threats. With this frame of reference, this article will focus on the effect of insurgency on human behavior. According to Hobbes, “fear of violent death and desirous peace” are the compelling reasons man forms a society. In making this a priori argument, Hobbes advances the idea that individual self-preservation is the primary motivating factor behind the formation of society and not, as Aristotle contends, because man by nature is a social animal. This motivational factor also has tremendous implications for individuals suffering through an insurgency. If the population is the centerpiece of any insurgency and counterinsurgency struggle, as prominent scholars on insurgency contend, then Hobbes’s insights are crucial to understanding how individuals caught up in an insurgency behave. This article will address the following questions: Why do subsequent generations accept the covenant rather than returning to the state of nature?