The state of nature is a concept in political philosophy that refers to the hypothetical condition of human beings before the establishment of civil society. According to philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, the state of nature is a condition of war, where individuals are in a constant state of conflict with each other, and life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"
. In this state, there is no law or government to regulate human behavior, and individuals are free to act according to their own self-interest
. The state of nature is a theoretical construct used to explain the origins of political authority and the need for a social contract
