Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more
1. We must next inquire into the duties which fall to man to perform as a result of the different states in which we find him existing in social life. By ‘state’ [status] in general, we mean a condition in which men are understood to be set for the purpose of performing a certain class of actions. Each State also has its own distinctive laws [jura].
2. Men's State is either natural or adventitious. Natural State may be considered, in the light of reason alone, in three ways: in relation to God the Creator; or in the relation of each individual man to himself; or in relation to other men.
3. Considered from the first point of view, the natural State of man is the condition in which he was placed by his Creator with the intention that he be an animal excelling other animals. It follows from this State that man should recognize and worship his Creator, admire His works, and lead his life in a manner utterly different from that of the animals. Hence this State is in complete contrast with the life and condition of the animals.
4. From the second point of view, we may consider the natural State of man, by an imaginative effort, as the condition man would have been in if he had been left to himself alone, without any support from other men, given the condition of human nature as we now perceive it. It would have been, it seems, more miserable than that of any beast, if we reflect on the great weakness of man as he comes into this world, when he would straight away die without help from others, and on the primitive life he would lead if he had no other resources than he owes to his own strength and intelligence. One may put it more strongly: the fact that we have been able to grow out of such weakness, the fact that we now enjoy innumerable good things, the fact that we have cultivated our minds and bodies for our own and others’ benefit - all this is the result of help from others. In this sense the natural State is opposed to life improved by human industry.
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Higher Education account to check access.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.