Homo homini lupus
Encyclopedia
Homo homini lupus est is a Latin phrase meaning "man is a wolf to [his fellow] man." First attested in Plautus
' Asinaria
(495, "lupus est homo homini"), the phrase is sometimes translated as "man is man's wolf", which can be interpreted to mean that man preys upon man. It is widely referenced when discussing the horrors of which humans are capable.
As an opposition, Seneca
wrote that "man is something sacred for man." Both aphorisms were drawn on by Thomas Hobbes
in the dedication of his work De Cive
(1651): "To speak impartially, both sayings are very true; That Man to Man is a kind of God; and that Man to Man is an arrant Wolfe. The first is true, if we compare Citizens amongst themselves; and the second, if we compare Cities." Hobbes's observation in turn echoes a line from Plautus claiming that man is inherently selfish.
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
' Asinaria
Asinaria
Asinaria is a comic play by the Latin playwright Titus Maccius Plautus, known as one of the great works of Roman comedy...
(495, "lupus est homo homini"), the phrase is sometimes translated as "man is man's wolf", which can be interpreted to mean that man preys upon man. It is widely referenced when discussing the horrors of which humans are capable.
As an opposition, Seneca
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
wrote that "man is something sacred for man." Both aphorisms were drawn on by Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
in the dedication of his work De Cive
De Cive
De Cive is a book by Thomas Hobbes published in 1642, and one of his major works.It anticipates the classical republican line of argument in the better-known Leviathan...
(1651): "To speak impartially, both sayings are very true; That Man to Man is a kind of God; and that Man to Man is an arrant Wolfe. The first is true, if we compare Citizens amongst themselves; and the second, if we compare Cities." Hobbes's observation in turn echoes a line from Plautus claiming that man is inherently selfish.
Notable citations
- ErasmusDesiderius ErasmusDesiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
discusses Plautus' use of the phrase in AdagiaAdagiaAdagia is an annotated collection of Greek and Latin proverbs, compiled during the Renaissance by Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus. Erasmus' collection of proverbs is "one of the most monumental ... ever assembled" Adagia (adagium is the singular form and adagia is the plural) is an...
first published in 1500. - In chapter 13, "Opposite the House of the Caryatids" of Doctor ZhivagoDoctor Zhivago-Original creation:*Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak, published in 1957**Yuri Andreyevich Zhivago, a fictional character and the main protagonist of the book Doctor Zhivago-Adaptations:There are several adaptations based on the Doctor Zhivago book:...
(1957) by Boris PasternakBoris PasternakBoris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language...
, the narrator remarks, of the scenes and events witnessed by Zhivago during his escape on foot from the partisans late in Russia's post-revolutionary civil war: "Those days justified the ancient saying that 'man is a wolf to man'." - Founding assumption in Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's 1929 Civilization and Its DiscontentsCivilization and Its DiscontentsCivilization and Its Discontents is a book by Sigmund Freud. Written in 1929, and first published in German in 1930 as Das Unbehagen in der Kultur , it is considered one of Freud's most important and widely read works.... - The title of a 1999 albumHomo homini lupus (album)Homo homini lupus is the second album by Italian progressive rock band Locanda delle Fate. It was recorded more than 20 years after the first album of the band, taking advantage of the progressive-rock "revivalist" trend that emerged in Italy in the 1990s....
by the Italian band La Locanda delle FateLa Locanda delle FateLa Locanda delle Fate is an Italian progressive rock band from the end of the Italian prog rock movement. They encountered little success with their first album Forse le lucciole non si amano più and disbanded shortly thereafter...
. - The title of an Italian short movie directed by Matteo Rovere in 2006.
- Used ironically in Voltaire's Candide to argue against the philosophy of optimism.
- The English title of the memoirMemoirA memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
Man Is Wolf to ManMan Is Wolf To ManMan Is Wolf to Man from the Latin Homo homini lupus is a memoir by Janusz Bardach, primarily surrounding the years during World War II. It was co-written with Kathleen Gleeson...
by Janusz BardachJanusz BardachDr. Janusz Bardach was a gulag survivor, author, and noted plastic surgeon. He was the younger brother of Polish legal scholar Juliusz Bardach- Early life :...
is a translation of Homo homini lupus. An unrelated movie of the same name, created by the Santana brothersSantana BrothersSantana Brothers is a 1994 album by Carlos Santana, his brother Jorge, and his nephew Carlos Hernandez...
, is in post-productionPost-productionPost-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
as of August 2010. - In Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Fifth Elephant, 'Homo homini lupus' is the motto of a family of werewolves. - 'Homo Homini Lupus' is the title of Episode 14Homo Homini Lupis"Homo Homini Lupis" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:A broker, Lucas Colter, in deep debt to a loan shark, and despite several days of frantic money raising, is unable to meet his obligation. Following a partial, inadequate payment, he...
, Season 1 of Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
. - Hilary MantelHilary MantelHilary Mary Mantel CBE , née Thompson, is an English novelist, short story writer and critic. Her work, ranging in subject from personal memoir to historical fiction, has been short-listed for major literary awards...
in part 6, chapter I of her novel, Wolf HallWolf HallWolf Hall is a multi-award winning historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a fictionalized biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex in the court of Henry VIII of...
, has Thomas Cromwell recalling the phrase whilst reflecting on the Duke of Norfolk's hounding of Cardinal Wolsey.