Final answer:
The theory of the natural state is a political philosophy concept discussing what life might be like without government, where natural laws prevail. Thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau have differing views, with Hobbes seeing it as anarchic, Locke as peaceful and based on natural rights, and Rousseau focusing on the collective social contract.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory of the natural state, or state of nature, is a concept in political philosophy used to describe a condition preceding the establishment of organized societies and governments. Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau theorized on what the state of nature would entail and what natural laws would govern it. Hobbes viewed the state of nature as a time of liberty but not of law, where life could be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" without sovereign power enforcing order. In contrast, Locke's perspective was that people lived in relative peace and equality in the state of nature, with innate natural rights such as life, liberty, and property, and they consent to forming governments to protect these rights. Rousseau also centered the state of nature in his social contract theory, arguing that individuals surrender their natural rights to the collective general will of society for mutual protection and well-being. Each of these perspectives contributes to the larger discourse on government legitimacy, natural rights, and societal organization.