Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes discusses the State of Nature to justify the formation of a powerful centralized authority, or Leviathan, and the concept of a social contract in which individuals yield some freedoms for peace and security.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Hobbes discusses the State of Nature to elucidate why the establishment of a powerful governing body, or Leviathan, is imperative for societal peace and security. In the absentia of political order, Hobbes surmises a state of nature where life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short' due to constant fear and competition for scarce resources. Thus, Hobbes reasons that it is in individuals' self-interest to enter a social contract and relinquish some freedoms to a sovereign power to live under enforceable laws that protect their wellbeing.
Understanding the State of Nature is crucial for comprehending the motives behind establishing political authority and justifying absolute power vested in a monarch, as Hobbes' theory suggests. This contrasts with John Locke's perspective, who agrees with the need for a social contract but advocates for natural rights and a government that protects these rights above the might of a sovereign ruler.