Hobbesian
1
9.5
- adjective
- /hɑːbˈziːən/
- Formal
:
hobbesiano
- In the Shadow of a Hobbesian Culture: An Alternative Explanation of Sino-American Relations
- Hobbesian culture
- Hobbesian world
They would descend into an elemental chaos of, you know, really a Hobbesian war of all against all.
- They would descend into an elemental chaos of, you know, really a Hobbesian war of all against all.
- So everybody in the Hobbesian point of view is driven by passions, by desires, by aversions.
- You could call it a hyper Hobbesian situation, right?
- Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's, it's this is I, I, I think the sometimes called like the the Neo Hobbesian point of view, right.
Examples
-
Nobody would deny that China and the United States have common interests, but the underlying culture is increasingly of a Hobbesian nature in which they approach each other in a Realpolitik way and prepare for the worst.
Academic text (2001) -
The Chinese political system Deng Xiaoping inherited in 1978 resembled a Hobbesian world.
Academic text (1998) -
The fundamental task facing the fragile relationship between China and the United States is, therefore, to change its Hobbesian culture.
Academic text (2001) -
Tonto's is a Hobbesian world where Native Americans require protection from one another.
Academic text (2013) -
In the classic Hobbesian conservative model, the people have no business making rational judgments of their leaders.
Blog text (26) -
The intensification of this Hobbesian culture has three main implications for Sino-American relations.
Academic text (2001) -
Without security, a country has nothing but disorder, distrust, and desperation—an utterly Hobbesian situation in which fear pervades and raw force dominates.
Academic text (2004) -
According to many political theorists, a Hobbesian approach suggests that people act primarily out of self-interest.
-
The conflict in the region is often described as a Hobbesian struggle for power among competing factions.
-
In a Hobbesian society, strong government authority is seen as essential to maintain order and prevent chaos.
Compounds
How Pessimistic
5
9.6
- Formal
1
9.5
67
3.9
208
6.5
- US
286
4.2
12
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
Hobbesian = Hobbes (transparent) = Hobbes + ian
The suffix '-ian' is commonly used to form adjectives relating to a person's ideas or philosophy.
Etymology
The word Hobbesian comes from the name of the English thinker Hobbes, who said life without government is 'nasty, brutish, and short' and wrote about a powerful ruler called Leviathan. So a Hobbesian view is one that says people are often 'self-interested' and that strong authority is needed to prevent chaos.