As a result of this humanistic movement of the 16th and 17th centuries, many thinkers tried to understand humans more thoroughly by determining what basic characteristics are inherent in all men and women. More specifically, they tried to determine how and why humans evolved to form civilized societies, and what motivated them to do so. In addition, as a continuation of the work done by pre-enlightenment thinkers such as Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, scho

Freedom in the state of nature is a very important concept to consider. Without the limitless potential for complete personal liberty, true human nature would not be allowed to surface in individuals. Firstly, freedom exists in a state of nature because of the lack of anything to hinder it. There are no institutions to make and enforce law, nor are there any institutions in place to punish those who harm others. As Locke writes, those who exist in a state of nature exist in "a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, dispose of their possessions and persons as they see fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man."1 Hobbes' thought on the subject is along the same line: "a freeman, is he, that in those things, which by his strength and wit he is able to do, is not hindered to do what he has a will to."2 For some, this definition of freedom in a state of nature might not be that easy to conceive because it is so drastically different from what we refer to as freedom in western civilized society. Freedom to do what one wants, to whom one wants, without any fear of legal repercussion, although instantly appealing to some dark part of our psyches, would lead to the degeneration of civilized society. Although we like to think of ourselves as "free", certain limits to our freedom protect us from being completely free.

As one can see, the principle difference between Hobbes' conception of the state of nature, and Locke's model, is the lack of any inherent morality and rationality. While Locke believed that our actions are dictated by the law of nature, Hobbes did not believe such a force exists. This does not mean that Hobbes did not believe there was some sort of natural law however. Hobbes viewed natural law as a set of obligations that humans have to follow to avoid the state of war and achieve peace. Firstly, Hobbes maintained that humans should seek peace whenever the opportunity presents itself. When it does not however, fighting for one's existence remains the priority.13 In order to achieve to peace, humans would have to be willing to sacrifice their right to all things and act towards others in a manner in which they would like others to act towards themselves. This idea comes directly from Hobbes' second law of nature: "that a man be willing, when others are so too, as far-forth, as for peace, and defense of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself."14 The third law of nature, according to Hobbes, is a very uncomplicated one, it simply states "that men perform their covenants made."15 Hobbes believed that if people could keep their words, either by fear of consequence, pride, or others reasons, then peace could become a reality. If these people did not honor their covenants however, then how could these people be expected to follow the first two laws of nature? Although Hobbes constructed eighteen laws in total, these first three remain the most significant in the sense of lifting mankind from the state of war.

Locke realized that freedom in a state of nature could potentially be very counter-productive to survival if humans, generally speaking, were not endowed with two important characteristics: reason and conscience. According to Locke, just as a human is bound to preserve his or her own life, when not fighting for one's survival, it is important to preserve the lives of others3. This was the foundation of what Locke considered the "law of nature" to be. According to this conception of

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