Through the use of philosophical theory and historical study, Thomas Hobbes attempts to convince citizens to consider the cost and reward of being governed. Without an understanding of the sociopolitical theories that keep government bodies in power, subjects can easily become complicit or allow society to slip into anarchy. Created during a brutal civil war, Hobbes hoped to educate and persuade his peers. Though Leviathan was a work of controversy in its time, Hobbes’ theories and prose has survived centuries, shaping the ideas of modern philosophy.
This edition of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is now presented with a stunning new cover design and is printed in an easy-to-read font. With these accommodations, Leviathan is accessible and applicable to contemporary readers.
Thomas Hobbes was an English translator, author, and philosopher. Considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy, Hobbes worked as a tutor while he first studied the subject. Witnessing political turmoil throughout his life, including a civil war and the Restoration period, Hobbes began to publish his theories. Because some of his work was perceived to promote atheism, which was illegal in his time, Hobbes gained a reputation of infamy. However, because the young king in power, Charles II, had been one of the students Hobbes tutored, he offered Hobbes a pension fund and protected his work, allowing his influence to spread for centuries.