# Hobbes — Human Nature and Conduct character guide

> Hobbes in Human Nature and Conduct by John Dewey.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0002-human-nature-and-conduct

## Who they are

English philosopher cited for his views on human nature and social contract.

## In the story

### [Human Nature and Conduct](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/chapters/human-nature-and-conduct)

Referenced in the context of social contract theory and the role of custom in maintaining social order.

### [V: Classification of Instincts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/chapters/v-classification-of-instincts)

Dewey discusses Hobbes' emphasis on fear as a primary instinct, attributing it to the social disorders of his time rather than to a universal human nature.

### [Part III: The Place of Intelligence in Conduct](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/chapters/part-iii-the-place-of-intelligence-in-conduct)

Dewey mentions Hobbes's view of deliberation as a mere weighing of desires, which he contrasts with his own conception of intelligent deliberation.

### [Morals Are Human](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/chapters/ii-morals-are-human)

Implicitly referenced in the discussion of conflict and the state of nature, though not named directly; Dewey contrasts the idealization of conflict with its role as a stimulus to intelligence.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/characters/hobbes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/characters