On Hobbes' Natural Law Thought

Thomas Hobbes is a representative of the classical natural law school.He is not only a famous philosopher but also an outstanding politician and jurist.His legal thought has an irreplaceable position in Europe and the world.In philosophy,Hobbes inherited Francis Bacon's modern materialism philosophy and systematized it to form his own mechanical materialism philosophy.In the aspect of law,he perfected the classical natural law of Grotius,raised the classical natural law to a new height,and provided a systematic system of classical natural law for later generations.Hobbes took the theory of human nature as the starting point,constructed a natural state full of war between people.People's fear of violent death and self preservation of their own rights out of their nature,and then introduced natural rights and natural law.Because natural law does not have the force of coercion,which leads to not everyone will abide by it.Therefore,Hobbes proposed that Then,the theory of establishing a sovereign state is put forward.Although Hobbes' thought was not understood by the world at that time,and even was once criticized by later generations,it is undeniable that there are many contradictions and limitations in his thought of natural law,but the essence of his thought is still of great significance to the socialist construction in China today.