State of Nature
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
The hypothetical state of human life before the emergence of government or law. Hobbes considered it a 'war of all against all' (human nature is evil); Rousseau considered it the 'noble savage' (human nature is good).
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
The logical starting point for institutional design. Your assumption about the 'state of nature' (whether humans are inherently good or evil) determines what kind of management system you will design (strict monitoring vs. full delegation). All management debates are fundamentally debates about the state of nature.
Anchor fast decisions
The state of nature is a 'pre-institutional' thought experiment: after stripping away government, law, and contracts, what are the interactions and behavioral motivations among individuals? Different scholars offer opposite presuppositions—Hobbes believed that under resource scarcity, everyone is in fear, leading to a 'war of all against all'; Locke believed in natural law and property rights; Rousseau believed that human nature is contrary to the corruption of civilization. This assumption serves as a coordinate system, determining the direction of subsequent institutional design.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Natureverified
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