1.
The Fundamental Law: To Seek Peace
This is the first and foundational commandment of reason. Hobbes argues that in the natural state
of war, every man has a right to everything, leading to inevitable conflict and an insecure life. The
most rational conclusion is that this condition is unsustainable. Therefore, the primary Law of
Nature is to endeavour peace wherever there is hope of obtaining it. This does not demand
pacifism; rather, it instructs individuals to pursue peaceful avenues as a primary strategy. Only
when peace is unattainable does the right of nature—the liberty to use all means of war for self-
defence—take full precedence.
2. Lay Down the Right to All Things
Derived directly from the command to seek peace, this second law provides the mechanism to
achieve it. It states that a man must be willing to lay down his right to all things, provided others
are also willing to do the same. This means relinquishing the absolute liberty to act on one's own
judgment in all matters and agreeing to be content with a limited amount of liberty against others,
equal to what he would allow them against himself. This mutual renunciation is not a gift but a
strategic exchange for peace and security.
3. Perform Covenants Made (Justice)
This third law is the cornerstone of justice itself. Hobbes defines injustice simply as the non-
performance of a covenant. A covenant is a type of contract where performance is promised for the
future, creating trust. This law dictates that such promises must be kept. Without this adherence,
covenants become "but Empty words," and the right to all things remains, trapping everyone in the
state of war. However, Hobbes crucially adds that for this law to have practical force (in foro
externo), there must be a coercive power to enforce it. In the state of nature, where no such power
exists, a valid covenant can be voided by reasonable suspicion.
4. Gratitude
The law of gratitude dictates that if a person receives a benefit from another through a "mere
Grace" or free gift (not a contract), they must endeavour that the giver has no reasonable cause to
repent of their goodwill. The rationale is pragmatic: all voluntary acts are done for some good to
the actor. If givers see that their benevolence leads only to frustration or ingratitude, the motivation
for any acts of charity, trust, or mutual help will vanish. Gratitude is thus the necessary social glue
that encourages and sustains voluntary cooperation beyond strict contractual obligations.
5. Complaisance (Mutual Accommodation)
This law requires that every man strive to accommodate himself to the rest. Hobbes uses the
metaphor of building: just as an irregular, troublesome stone that takes up more space than it fills is
cast away by builders, so too should a person be cast out of society if they are stubborn, inflexible,
and seek to retain things superfluous to themselves but necessary for others. The individual who
opposes the general need for sociability for the sake of their own stubborn passions is "guilty of the
warre" that will likely
follow.
6. Facility to Pardon
This law states that upon caution of the Future time, a man ought to pardon the offences past of
those who repent and desire it. Pardon is defined as the "granting of Peace." To refuse pardon to
someone who shows genuine repentance and offers security for future good behaviour is not a
desire for justice but a sign of an aversion to peace itself, which violates the primary law.
7. Purpose of Revenge
This law dictates that in revenge—defined as the retribution of evil for evil—men must look not at
the greatness of the evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow. Revenge must never be
undertaken for its own sake or for the glory of triumphing over another, as this is vanity and tends
toward endless cycles of violence. Instead, the only rational purposes for punishment are for the
"correction of the offender, or direction of others"—that is, to reform the criminal or to deter others
from committing similar crimes.
8. Against Contumely
This law forbids such behaviour because these signs are powerful provocations to fight. In a world
where men highly value their honour and reputation, an act of contempt is often seen as a greater
evil than a physical threat, leading individuals to "hazard their life" rather than suffer the insult.
Since any action that needlessly provokes conflict and leads to war is contrary to the fundamental
law of nature,
contumely is expressly forbidden. This law underscores the importance of social respect and
civility as necessary conditions for a peaceful society.
9. Against Pride (Acknowledge Equality)
This law commands that every man acknowledge others for his equal by Nature. Hobbes argues
that whether nature actually made men equal or unequal in ability is irrelevant. What matters is that
men who think themselves equal will never agree to enter into a peace treaty except on equal
terms. Therefore, for peace to be possible, natural equality must be admitted as a foundational
principle. To require special status or greater rights for oneself at the outset of negotiations is to
sabotage the very possibility of agreement.
10. Against Arrogance (Equity in Entering Peace)
Following from the law against pride, this tenth law states that at the entrance into conditions of
Peace, no man is required to reserve to himself any Right, which he is not content should be
reserved to every one of the rest. While it is necessary to lay down certain rights (like the right to
all things), it is also necessary to retain some, such as the right to one's own body and the means to
live. This law ensures that the rights everyone retains are identical and equitable. To argue for a
personal exemption—to claim a right for oneself that one denies to others—is an act of arrogance
that violates natural equality and is therefore unjust. It makes a mockery of the social contract,
which must be based on reciprocal agreement.
