Question

which statement best characterizes the ideas of thomas hobbes?○ people are naturally reasonable.○ people are naturally selfish and violent.○ governments create unequal societies○ government should be separate from religion.

Explanation:

Thomas Hobbes, in his work Leviathan, argued that in the "state of nature" (without a governing authority), humans are inherently driven by self-interest, leading to a violent, chaotic existence ("war of all against all"). This view aligns with the claim that people are naturally selfish and violent, as he believed a strong central government was needed to control this innate behavior. The other options do not reflect his core ideas: he did not view people as naturally reasonable, he saw government as solving chaos rather than creating inequality, and separating government and religion was not a key tenet of his thought.

Answer:

B. People are naturally selfish and violent.