According to Thomas Hobbes, what is the character or nature of men?

“The life of man” in the state of nature.

Hobbes famously writes, is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” In the state of nature, security is impossible for anyone, and the fear of death dominates every aspect of life.

Hobbes believed that humans are naturally vainglorious and seek for domination and respect. He believes mankind's natural state, is that of war, where life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" simply put, because mankind is within a individualistic war of all against all.

Meaning, mankind is naturally meant to be argumentative and create chaos against one another for fear of survival.

hope this helps :)

shang dynasty

western zhou (ca. 1046-771 bce)

eastern zhou (ca. 771-256 bce)