<P> The natural state of men, before they entered into society, was a mere war, and that not simply, but a war of all men against all men . </P> <P> Nam unusquisque naturali necessitate bonum sibi appetit, neque est quisquam qui bellum istud omnium contra omnes, quod tali statui naturaliter adhæret, sibi existimat esse bonum . </P> <P> For every man by natural necessity desires that which is good for him: nor is there any that esteems a war of all against all, which necessarily adheres to such a state, to be good for him . </P> <P> In chapter XIII of Leviathan, Hobbes explains the concept with these words: </P>

To this war of every man against every man