Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes believed that the fear of a violent and insecure existence in the 'state of nature' motivated people to enter a social contract, giving up their rights to an absolute monarch in exchange for an ordered society.
Step-by-step explanation:
English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, in his work Leviathan, depicted a primal condition he called the "state of nature", where constant competition for scarce resources would create unending conflict among humans. To escape this brutal life, which would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short," Hobbes proposed that individuals
enter into a social contract. This contract involved relinquishing their natural rights and handing over absolute power to a monarch, who would guarantee peace, stability, and order in society. Hobbes supported an absolute monarchy because he believed that only a government with unquestioned authority could effectively maintain societal harmony and prevent a relapse into the state of nature.
Hobbes argued that human nature was characterized by self-interest and equal capability for violence, leading to fear and an inevitable state of war without a powerful government. To avoid such anarchy, people would agree to a Leviathan, a powerful authority created through a social contract, to enforce the laws of nature with unrestricted power, thus providing security and cooperation among society's members.