Written during a moment in English history when the political and social structures were in flux and open to interpretation, Leviathan played an essential role in the development of the modern world.
Thomas Hobbes (5 April 1588 - 4 December 1679), was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. Although Hobbes was a strong believer in the right of sovereigns to rule absolutely, Hobbes developed the political philosophy that laid the foundation for theories like social contract theory that have formed the backbone of Western democracy. Hobbes also wrote about history, mathematics, physics, ethics and philosophy, writing at length about human nature and the strength of self-interest, often referred to as materialism. Among Hobbes' work, his most famous and important is Leviathan, titled after the Biblical character. Hobbes' Leviathan expounds at length upon the structure of society and legitimate government, becoming one of the most influential political philosophies in the West's history. Leviathan weds social contract theory to an absolute sovereign, calling upon legitimate government to protect the natural rights of its people. Written during the English Civil War, Hobbes argues a strong centralized government is necessary to avoid war and upheaval.
De Cive (On the Citizen) is the first full exposition of the political thought of Thomas Hobbes, the greatest English political philosopher of all time. Professors Tuck and Silverthorne have undertaken the first complete translation since 1651, a rendition long thought (in error) to be at least sanctioned by Hobbes himself. On the Citizen is written in a clear, straightforward, expository style, and in many ways offers students a more digestible account of Hobbes's political thought than the Leviathan itself. This new translation is both accurate and accessible, and is itself a significant scholarly event: it is accompanied by a full glossary of Latin terms, a chronology, bibliography, and an expository introduction. Throughout the editors have emphasised consistency in the translation and usage of Hobbes's basic conceptual vocabulary, respecting Hobbes's own concern for accurate definition of terms.
Thomas Hobbes is one of the most important figures in the history of political philosophy. Yet a great deal of his political thought was motivated by the need to address distinctively religious problems. This is the first collection of essays dedicated to the complex and rich intersections between Hobbes's political and religious thought.