Thomas Hobbes

Lore & Background

After returning to England from France in 1637, Hobbes witnessed the English Civil War (1642–1651), which heavily influenced his advocacy for an absolute sovereign in Leviathan. His other major works include the trilogy De Cive (1642), De Corpore (1655), and De Homine (1658), as well as the posthumous Behemoth (1681). Hobbes contributed to history, jurisprudence, geometry, optics, theology, classical translations, ethics, and philosophy, marking him as a polymath. Despite accusations of atheism and contentious debates, his work profoundly influenced political structure and human nature.

Reader's Guide

Thomas Hobbes's significance lies in his foundational role in modern political philosophy, particularly through his formulation of social contract theory in Leviathan. Drawing from his experiences during the English Civil War, he argued that without a strong, absolute sovereign, society would descend into a 'state of nature' characterized by a 'war of all against all.' His ideas on the necessity of consent and the laws of nature shaped subsequent debates on governance and human nature. Hobbes also contributed to diverse fields such as geometry, optics, and classical translations, reflecting his polymathic intellect. His legacy endures in political theory, where his concepts of sovereignty and social contract remain central to discussions of state authority and individual rights.

Did You Know?

• Hobbes was born prematurely when his mother heard of the coming invasion of the Spanish Armada; he later said 'my mother gave birth to twins: myself and fear.'
• He translated Euripides's Medea from Greek into Latin verse before attending Oxford.
• Hobbes served as Francis Bacon's amanuensis, translating several of Bacon's Essays into Latin.
• His first translation of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War into English was directly from a Greek manuscript.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Thomas Hobbes (5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, whose 1651 book Leviathan established the agenda for nearly all subsequent Western political philosophy." — Thomas Hobbes "The passion of laughter is nothing else but a sudden glory arising from sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmities of others, or with our own formerly..." — Thomas Hobbes "...in statu naturae Mensuram juris esse Utilitatem." — Thomas Hobbes "In the state of nature, Profit is the measure of Right." — Thomas Hobbes