Abstract
Thomas Hobbes’ standpoint concerning the right for death seems to be coherent as well as justifiable. On one hand he points at the fear of death as the main source of law, but on the other hand he formulates minimum basic rules which safeguard man’s life. Though nobody is obliged to rescue someone else at the cost of their own life, but at the same time nobody has a right to kill anyone. Also nowadays the same rule can be found in many legal systems: even if people are obliged to help others, they are not compelled to undertake heroic deeds or risk their lives. Thus Hobbes’ position can be given the name of ethical individualism, or even egoism in which no form of instrumentalism of human life is allowed. The value of any individual is absolute, which excludes the possibility to sacrifice their life for the sake of others. Hobbes does not share assumptions of utilitarianism and his solution might seem utopian from the perspective of the strategy of social actions, but from the perspective of values and rights of an individual it seems justifiable.
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