Final answer:
Hobbes viewed the state of nature as a life of conflict, fear, and warfare, leading people to establish a social contract with an absolute monarch for security and order.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Hobbes' view of the human condition in the state of nature is starkly pessimistic. He believed that without rules and laws, society would be in a state of perpetual conflict, as individuals would act solely in their own self-interest. This condition, he argued, would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' as constant competition for limited resources would lead to a life dominated by fear and warfare. To escape this dire state of nature, Hobbes posited that people would enter into a social contract, surrendering some liberties to a sovereign power to gain peace, stability, and order. Hobbes favored an absolute monarchy, as he considered absolute authority essential to a government's effectiveness and the maintenance of social order.