Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes viewed humans as naturally seeking self-preservation, leading them to live in a state of nature characterized by liberties without laws. Through deliberation, they enter into a social contract, surrendering some freedoms to a sovereign power to avoid a state of perpetual war. This mechanistic view emphasizes the rational calculation in the choice between anarchy and order.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Hobbes's Mechanistic View of Humans
Thomas Hobbes' mechanistic conception of human beings suggests that humans are naturally motivated by self-preservation and the maximization of their own well-being. In his view, human life in a state of nature is purely about liberties, where laws do not exist, and the right of an individual is to use his own power to preserve his own life. Deliberation plays a role in Hobbes’s account of human agency, where he suggests that humans are moved by appetites and aversions, a process that involves internal deliberations about the means to achieve one's ends.
Hobbes further posits that such a state of nature is susceptible to conflict, as people will act in their own self-interest, which leads to a 'war of every man against every man'. This perpetual state of war compels humans to engage in a social contract where they surrender some liberties to an absolute sovereign power to ensure peace and security. The notion of deliberation underlies the decision to enter into this contract as individuals weigh the chaos of anarchy against the safety provided by absolutism.
In essence, Hobbes believes in the need for a Leviathan, an all-powerful government, to impose a symmetrical fear of punishment and enforce the laws of nature. This creates a social balance where individuals, driven by the rational deliberation of self-preservation, concede some of their natural freedoms to live harmoniously under a sovereign power.