--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hobbes's analysis of the causes of…" description: "\"“Hobbes's analysis of the causes of violence, borne out by modern data on crime and war, shows that violence is not a primitive, irrational urge, nor i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/steven-pinker-526_crime_hobbes-s-analysis-of-the-causes-of-viole_1200984.jpg" --- # Hobbes's analysis of the causes of violence, borne out by… ![“Hobbes's analysis of the causes of violence, borne out by modern data on crime and war, shows that violence is not a primitive, irrational urge, nor is it a "pathology" except in the metaphorical sense of a condition that everyone would like to eliminate. Instead, it is a near-inevitable outcome…” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/steven-pinker-526_crime_hobbes-s-analysis-of-the-causes-of-viole_1200984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/steven-pinker-526_crime_hobbes-s-analysis-of-the-causes-of-viole_1200984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/steven-pinker-526_crime_hobbes-s-analysis-of-the-causes-of-viole_1200984.jpg) > ““Hobbes's analysis of the causes of violence, borne out by modern data on crime and war, shows that violence is not a primitive, irrational urge, nor is it a "pathology" except in the metaphorical sense of a condition that everyone would like to eliminate. Instead, it is a near-inevitable outcome of the dynamics of self-interested, rational social organisms.”” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence arises not from irrational urges but from rational self‑interest within social structures, making it a predictable outcome of collective behavior. **In simple terms:** Violence is a rational social outcome. Key Takeaway Address systemic incentives that drive conflict. Themes violence rationality social dynamics Mood analytical serious inquisitive Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - politics - law enforcement - education - community planning Key Concepts game theory collective action conflict theory Questions to Reflect On - What policies can align self‑interest with peace? - How does rational choice theory explain aggression? A Different Perspective Reducing violence requires reshaping self‑interest, not just moral appeals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Violence is a primitive but still very widespread way in which the ego attempts to assert itself, to prove itself right and another wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/violence-is-a-primitive-but-still-very-widespread-way-in-which-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Dr. Gilligan states: “I am suggesting that the only way to explain the causes of violence, so that we can learn how to prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzm-team/dr-gilligan-states-i-am-suggesting-that-the-only-way-to-explain-the/) Tzm Team > [If we want to build communities that are safe, we have to address the root causes of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-bush/if-we-want-to-build-communities-that-are-safe-we-have-to-address-the/) [Cori Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-bush/) > [We have been embarked on what I would call a proactive strategy that looks at our gun violence as a public health crisis, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/we-have-been-embarked-on-what-i-would-call-a-proactive-strategy-that/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [Illiteracy causes violence. 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Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## More by Steven Pinker > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. 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A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. 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