Lucretius's Epicureanism

In the beginning, as lucretius vividly describes, humans were in a kind of state of nature. Only once they developed the rudiments of trust and co operation could they advance beyond the most primitive condition. It was at this same time that humans first developed language. This too was simply a conventional advance on natural tendencies. The next step is the development of cities of political rule and of money. In the struggle to satisfy these desires, society begins to slide back into violence. A kind of second social contract is needed to restore order. And this explains the imposition of the laws that govern our society to day.