Question

what is the state of nature

Answer 1

The state of nature is a concept in moral and political philosophy used in religion, social contract theories and international law to denote the hypothetical conditions of what the lives of people might have been like before societies came into existence.

Answer 2

What @ramshackleglory said sounds about right - However, it's important to note that the state of nature isn't always the same. Theorists such as Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have different conceptions of what the state of nature consists of.

Also, I'd say that it's a hypothetical state, which is why there are different opinions of what is it like - or how man is, in natural conditions.