"Such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves"
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Hobbes pinpoints a stubborn vanity at the core of human judgment: we can concede that others outstrip us in cleverness, style, or book learning, but we balk at believing anyone is more truly wise. Wit and eloquence are visible talents, and learning can be tallied in degrees and citations. Wisdom, by contrast, is practical judgment about what to do and what to value. Because each person measures that by the yardstick of his own desires and opinions, he treats his viewpoint as the standard. If wisdom is conformity to right reason, and I take my reasoning to be right, then it follows, almost by definition, that few can be wiser than I am.
For Hobbes this is not a minor quirk; it underwrites his claim that humans are by nature equal in the faculties of mind. Not equal in every skill, but equal in prudential self-conceit and in the experience that breeds confidence. From that equality comes what he calls equal hope in attaining our ends. When hopes collide over scarce goods or honor, competition and mistrust follow. Add the love of being esteemed wise, and argument hardens into rivalry. In the state of nature, where no common judge exists to settle whose judgment counts, this dynamic helps produce the war of every man against every man.
The line belongs to the political and psychological architecture of Leviathan, written amid the English Civil War. Hobbes seeks to explain why persuasion fails and discord escalates: people do not think they are simply mistaken; they think others are less wise. The cure, for him, is not to assume a sudden flowering of humility but to establish a sovereign authority whose decisions replace private claims to wisdom in matters of peace and safety.
The insight stays current. Overconfidence bias, echo chambers, and the performative rewards of wit and eloquence can obscure the harder virtue of sound judgment. Hobbes urges a skepticism toward our own certainty and a respect for institutions that can referee our disagreements.
For Hobbes this is not a minor quirk; it underwrites his claim that humans are by nature equal in the faculties of mind. Not equal in every skill, but equal in prudential self-conceit and in the experience that breeds confidence. From that equality comes what he calls equal hope in attaining our ends. When hopes collide over scarce goods or honor, competition and mistrust follow. Add the love of being esteemed wise, and argument hardens into rivalry. In the state of nature, where no common judge exists to settle whose judgment counts, this dynamic helps produce the war of every man against every man.
The line belongs to the political and psychological architecture of Leviathan, written amid the English Civil War. Hobbes seeks to explain why persuasion fails and discord escalates: people do not think they are simply mistaken; they think others are less wise. The cure, for him, is not to assume a sudden flowering of humility but to establish a sovereign authority whose decisions replace private claims to wisdom in matters of peace and safety.
The insight stays current. Overconfidence bias, echo chambers, and the performative rewards of wit and eloquence can obscure the harder virtue of sound judgment. Hobbes urges a skepticism toward our own certainty and a respect for institutions that can referee our disagreements.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
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