By Dr. Roy Christman

In “La Brea,” currently streaming on NBC, the introductory scenes feature a giant sinkhole appearing in the middle of Los Angeles. A varied collection of Angelenos fall unscathed though an opening at the bottom and find themselves in an identical prehistoric L.A. area, only now with saber-toothed tigers who have not yet fallen into the tar pits.

The group lacks a government. No one is in charge to assign tasks, divide up what food is available, or set up a school (although it seems that no kids have fallen through the opening). I’m watching, fascinated. I’m thinking, “We are back to Hobbes’ and Locke’s state of nature.”

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were 17th century English political philosophers who wrote about the origins of government. Both posited a time when humans roamed the earth free of constraints. Reports of Indian tribes in the New World lent credence to the idea, although we now know Indians did have sophisticated political systems.

Hobbes published his ideas on government in the Leviathan in 1651. In his state of nature people were born equal. Some might be stronger than others, but even the weakest guy could wait until the toughest guy fell asleep, then bash in his head with a rock.

In a Hobbesian world this might well happen. People would compete for riches, knowledge and honor, and this competition was perpetual, ending only in death.

In the state of nature “every man is enemy to every man. …” Conditions will be horrible: “… no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

This is not an accurate description of the refugees in “La Brea,” although selfishness abounds, the animals are not friendly, one of the group sells dope, and a major argument breaks out about who should go first if there’s a chance of returning to the L.A. of today. Cheating is suspected when names are picked from a hat. Unity is tenuous.

Hobbes said that people should give up their natural rights in order to form government to protect themselves, although he also said people never gave up their right to self-defense.

The agreement was called the “social contract,” and Hobbes said you should never break it and go back to that terrible state of nature. All this sounds rather conservative, although it has come down to us as “English liberal thought.” The liberal part is that governmental powers do not come from God or tradition or a charismatic leader, but from the people themselves.

Perhaps the “La Brea” gang would be more comfortable with Locke. Locke’s state of nature was a rather pleasant place.

People weren’t always at each other’s throats, but there were “inconveniences,” and it was difficult to resolve disagreements. Locke agreed with Hobbes that people would form a social contract, but with a significant difference in how that contract was implemented.

After all, contracts must be obeyed by both sides. If the people break laws, they are punished. If the government breaks its contractual obligations, it is dissolved. If you want a clear explanation of how this works, read the second paragraph of our Declaration of Independence.

It’s not that difficult to explain the Hobbes/Locke dichotomy on the state of nature. Hobbes was writing at a time when the king was beheaded and a violent civil war was raging.

Locke was writing at a time when the king was changed peaceably; Locke was on the ship that brought the new king back from the Netherlands. If you were living in Syria or Myanmar right now, you might have a different view of humanity than if you were living in Finland or Costa Rica.

Perhaps the reason the “La Brea” group is less worried about agreeing to a social contract and organizing a government is because the people are so focused on getting back to present-day L.A. Their cellphone batteries are going dead, they miss the good coffee from Starbucks, and they have to walk everywhere.

I’m not sure how many more episodes are planned. Perhaps what seems to me a more Lockean state of nature will dissolve into a Hobbesian nightmare of violence and cruelty. Or maybe zombies will appear.

Dr. Roy Christman taught political science and American Studies at San José State University for many years. He is now retired and lives in Towamensing Township.