The looting seen in Haiti and more recently, Chile,[1] are astounding, horrifying and predicted long ago by none other than Thomas Hobbes, whom I’m sure most of you are unfamiliar with. However, his works are just as important as Voltaire, Montesquieu and Locke. Oh, you don’t know those either? Well they came up with Freedom of Speech, Separation of Power in Government and Liberalism, respectively. Lofty company to say the least.
Hobbes’ claim it fame is no less impressive, he wrote passionately in Leviathan about a social contract between government and its people which is a powerful democratic concept day. In constructing his argument for the need for government he said that if left uncheck the lives of men are “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. He viewed man as inherently prone to violence and disorder and that it required a strong government to keep them in check, and ensure a prosperous society.
He would have told you that if a catastrophic event occurs, and the foundation of government is shaken, people will react by entering a free for all frenzy. That is exactly what has happened. Instead of respecting the rule of law, trusting their government to uphold order for just a few days and acting in a civilized manner for when the first time in their lives society and the police weren’t mandating it, they acted nasty and brutish. Their actions shortened many more lives.
Until such a time as looting isn’t a concern in the wake of a disaster, but rather delivering aid and rebuilding are the priorities we cannot call ourselves, as individuals and a species civilized but rather held to a level of respectability by the threat of imprisonment. It is a goal that our species must prove it can obtain to truly be considered humane and advanced.
You raise excellent points as usual! I really enjoy your ability to mock not only the absurdity of the human condition but also your self-deprecating humour!
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