Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes posited that fear of a brutish life in a state of nature leads individuals to consent to be governed and enter a social contract, relinquishing their natural rights to an absolute sovereign in exchange for peace and order.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Hobbes believed that fear was a foundational reason for individuals in a society to consent to be governed. He postulated that in a natural state of equality, fear arises due to constant competition for scarce resources, leading to a life that is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' Hobbes argued that to escape this perpetual state of war, people willingly enter a social contract, transferring their natural rights and power to an absolute monarchy in exchange for peace, stability, and order. This Leviathan, or immense government authority, is thus consented to by the people to prevent anarchy and ensure the protection of their lives, enabled by the government's unrestrained power to enforce the laws of nature.
In Hobbes' view, the social contract is the mechanism through which people surrender their freedoms and submit to an absolute ruler to avoid the dangers of the state of nature. The ruler or government then becomes responsible for ensuring the safety of the people, which Hobbes believes is ensured through the absolute authority of a sovereign power. Thus, fear is a justifiable reason for people to relinquish their natural liberty in pursuit of safety and a more structured society under a sovereign.