From: Robert Owen (rowen@technologist.com)
Date: Thu Oct 07 1999 - 21:17:28 MDT
Chuck Kuecker wrote:
> >Thomas Hobbes' statement "Homini lupus lupi" ["Man is a wolf to man"]
>
> Isn't it 'Man is a wolf to wolves'??
Chuck,
There is some justifiable doubt about what Hobbes actually meant
to say in Latin. This is the standard Latin and English expressions, but
they are inconsistent. I suppose I should have used another state-
ment he made in English: "Human life in a state of nature ["apart
from or before the institution of the civil state" (my insertion-RMO)]
is a war of all against all."
It was in this same discussion of the "Social Contract" that he gave
the famous description of human life apart from civilization as "nasty,
brutish and short". This expresses the point I wanted to emphasize,
but without ambiguity.
Thank you for your reply,
Bob
=======================
Robert M. Owen
Director
The Orion Institute
57 W. Morgan Street
Brevard, NC 28712-3659 USA
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