Grotius and Hobbes: The Necessities of Human Nature

Abstract Our understanding of the politics of necessity and of necessities of human beings determines how peacefully or violently we respond in moments of crisis. Today’s global order of great powers seems to have parallels to Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes’s period, a fact that prompts us to analyse their concept of necessity and necessities. Against realist interpretations, the article argues that Grotius and Hobbes coincide in establishing clear limits to violence in international order and in advocating the goal of a peaceful preservation of human beings as individuals and as a species. Moreover, both authors appeal to normative considerations, which are nevertheless not always reflected upon in the literature. While Grotius moves within a classic cosmology of justice, Hobbes’s naturalistic stand founded on ‘conatus’ or ‘endeavor’, sees in human nature the guide for necessity and necessities. We conclude that Grotius’s is the most promising position for the survival and thriving of human beings.