"In the state of nature profit is the measure of right"

Thomas Hobbes' quote recommends that in a state of nature, where there is no federal government or law, individuals are directed by their own self-interest. This indicates that people will act in a manner that is helpful to them, no matter whether it is ethically ideal or wrong. This is because in a state of nature, there is nobody to enforce laws or penalize people for their actions. For that reason, individuals will act in a manner that optimizes their own profit, regardless of the consequences. This is why Hobbes thinks that in a state of nature, earnings is the procedure of right. He thinks that individuals will act in a manner that is advantageous to them, no matter whether it is ethically right or incorrect. This is why it is necessary to have a government and laws in location, to make sure that individuals act in a way that is beneficial to society as a whole, instead of just to themselves.