Hobbes asserts that civil war and the "nasty, brutish and short" state of nature ("the war of all against all") could be avoided only by a strong, undivided government. The title of Hobbes's treatise alludes …

This E-text was prepared from the Pelican Classics edition of Leviathan, which in turn was prepared from the first edition. I have tried to follow as closely as possible the original, and to give the flavour …

Feb 25, 2026 · Leviathan, magnum opus of the early-modern English political philosopher, ethicist, metaphysician, and scientist Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679).

A short summary of Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Leviathan.

Where Hobbes included references in the main text, I have left them as he put them, except to change his square brackets to round. For the Greek alphabet, I have simply substituted the nearest ordinary …

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

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Written in a time of great political turmoil (Hobbes' life spanned the reign of Charles I, the Civil Wars, the Commonwealth and the Protectorate, and the Restoration), Leviathan is an argument for obedience …

Art goes yet further, imitating that rational and most excellent work of Nature, man.

Feb 15, 2022 · Leviathan (1651)—full title Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil—is a book written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. …