Legal Definitions - state of nature

The state of nature refers to a time in human history before any type of organized political society existed. It is a fictional construct used to describe a lack of political organization.

Although human society has existed for as long as there have been humans, the state of nature is the absence of a society organized on the basis of physical force to constitute a state. It is not the absence of society altogether.

For example, imagine a group of people living on a deserted island without any form of government or laws. This would be considered a state of nature because there is no organized political society.

Another example could be a post-apocalyptic world where all forms of government have collapsed, and people are left to fend for themselves. This would also be considered a state of nature.

The state of nature is a useful concept for understanding the origins of political society and the role of government in society.