51 Morality of the Professor of Ethics

Jan Halski nodded. Marlena felt pleasant knowing that her words were accurate. She really wanted to make a good impression on the professor.

"This man's instinct led to an evil act against a woman. Violent nature has done evil to someone. A woman even has the right to defend herself against that evil, doesn't she?"

"Of course!" agreed Marlena.

"That is the first essential point of Hobbes's philosophy. The early Christians allowed themselves to be tortured and murdered without objection. A Christian should turn the other cheek. Hobbes argued, however, that he had a right to defend himself against the aggression of others."

"That seems obvious!"

"Not in those days. Our current thinking and our laws were founded on thousands of years of thought. Hobbes says that self-defense is good, even though by acting in self-defense we may do something bad. After all, we can't let ourselves be devoured by wolves, right?"

"Well, yes."