Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes viewed humans as naturally equal but living in fear and conflict in a state of nature, leading them to form a social contract with an absolute sovereign for protection and order.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best description of Thomas Hobbes's view of humanity is that, in a natural state without government, life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short, as described in his seminal work, Leviathan. Hobbes believed that in the state of nature, there was a war of all against all, where humans lived in constant fear and danger of violent death. To escape this state, individuals entered into a social contract, surrendering some of their freedoms to a sovereign power in exchange for protection and the establishment of a commonwealth.