The man is the wolf of the man is a phrase made famous by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes which means that man is man's greatest enemy.
This statement presents the transfiguration of man as a wild animal, consists of a metaphor that indicates that man is capable of great atrocities and barbarities against elements of his own kind.
The original phrase is by the Roman playwright Platus and is part of one of his plays. In Latin, this phrase is translated as homo homini lupus.
However, this phrase was best known for being included in the work entitled Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes which was published in 1651. In this book, Thomas Hobbes argues that civil peace and social union can only be achieved when a contract is established. social with a centralized power that has absolute authority to protect society, creating peace and community civilized.
It is possible to conclude that Man has a great potential for good but also for evil, specifically when he seeks only his own interests, not caring about his neighbor. This wolf attitude is often revealed through the phrase "the end justifies the means."
Learn more about the meaning of the phrase The ends justify the means.
Explanation of the sentence Man is the wolf of man
According to Hobbes, in a natural state, the individualism of the human being compels him to live at war with each other. This phrase expresses the conflict between men, indicating that of all the threats that a human being can face, the greatest one is the confrontation with other people.
We see that the biggest challenges we face as a species are created by ourselves, because we see that for human beings it is common for the strongest to exploit the weakest, when they should protect them. This reveals that Man is man's own predator, being a villain to himself.
