Open Philosophy LibraryLeviathan
Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan develops a materialist account of mind and motivation before explaining political authority through covenant and representation. From the state of nature and laws of nature, Hobbes argues for an undivided sovereign capable of securing peace. Its four Parts also examine liberty, civil law, punishment, Christian government, scripture and the political dangers of divided religious authority.
About this work
Published in 1651, Leviathan is Thomas Hobbes's foundational account of human nature, social contract and sovereign authority.
Part I analyses sense, imagination, language, reason, passion and power before presenting the state of nature as a condition of insecurity without a common authority.
Part II explains how individuals authorise a sovereign through covenant. Hobbes defends extensive, undivided power while examining liberty, law, crime, punishment, government and the sovereign's duty to provide protection.
Parts III and IV interpret scripture and criticise ecclesiastical independence, inherited superstition and scholastic doctrines that divide allegiance.
The work remains central to debates about political obligation, security, freedom, representation and the relation between civil and religious authority.