Dark fantasy Quote by Christopher Ryan
““Hobbes took the madness of his age, considered it “normal,” and projected it back into prehistoric epochs of which he knew next to nothing. What Hobbes called “human nature” was a projection of seventeenth-century Europe, where life for most was rough, to put it mildly. Though it has persisted for centuries, Hobbes’s dark fantasy of prehistoric human life is as valid as grand conclusions about Siberian wolves based on observations of stray dogs in Tijuana.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jethá, 2010
Hobbes’s view of human nature reflects his own era’s harshness, not prehistoric reality, leading to a distorted, anachronistic model.
In simple terms: Hobbes projected his time’s brutality onto ancient humans.
Key Takeaway
Question modern assumptions about human nature.
Themes
philosophy
history
anthropology
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
historical
skeptical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- teaching
- public policy
- media commentary
Key Concepts
social contract
anachronism
projection
Questions to Reflect On
- How does our era shape our view of the past?
- What alternative models explain early human behavior?
A Different Perspective
Hobbes’s model may overlook evidence of cooperation in early societies.
![“[Man] has imagined a heaven, and has left entirely out of it the supremest of all his delights, the one ecstasy that stands first and foremost in the heart of every individual of his race…sexual intercourse! It is as if a lost and perishing person in a roasting desert should be told by a rescuer…” quote by Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/939/christopher-ryan-4309_joy_man-has-imagined-a-heaven-and-has-left-e_187069.jpg)
