Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Leviathan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Nature, War, and Civil Society
Power, Common-wealths, and Monarchies
Religion
Fear
Reason, Fact, and Philosophy
Summary
Analysis
Sound reasoning is necessary in all discourse and discussion. Without reason, one’s conclusions are hasty and unfair. “Powerful Eloquence” is also necessary, without which reason has very little effect. According to Hobbes, “Reason, and Eloquence” can stand together, which is what he hopes he has done in writing this book. Regarding the Laws of Nature that Hobbes explains early in the book, he would like to also add that everyone is obligated by Nature to protect during war the same sovereign power they are protected by in peacetime.
In Hobbes’s review and conclusion, he quickly recaps his most important arguments and adds to them. A philosopher must be articulate and express their theories with “eloquence,” which is what Hobbes has attempted to do in Leviathan. Hobbes’s addition here of a subject’s obligation to protect their sovereign power again implies that a sovereign cannot be overthrown by subjects in a civil war.
Themes
And, due to some recently printed books about the English Civil War, Hobbes wants to remind everyone that a subject is obliged to a conqueror when—and only when—that subject freely submits to that conqueror and agrees to be their subject. A conquest is not victory in war; a conquest is winning power over the subjects of another sovereign power. Thus, if one is killed, they are not conquered, nor are they conquered if they are held prisoner in chains.
Here, Hobbes implies that those English subjects who did not support the English Civil War are not automatically beholden to the sovereign power instituted by the parliamentarians. As this government was not instituted through a covenant with the people, it is illegitimate.
Themes
In Chapter 29, Hobbes discusses the causes of the dissolution of a common-wealth, to which he would like add that people will always justify the war that brings their power. A tyrant is nothing more than a name for a sovereign power, whether that power is one person or many people. Hobbes believes that to tolerate a hatred of tyranny is simply to tolerate a hatred of common-wealths, and he argues it is another “evill seed” on the maintenance of civil society.
Many believe that since the sovereign power of the parliamentarians is an assembly of people (Parliament), this form of government cannot be tyrannical. Hobbes disagrees and again reiterates that a tyrant can be either a single person or an assembly of people.
Themes
Hobbes has demonstrated that the Jews and God entered into a covenant in which God was made their sovereign power by contract. The Jews were God’s “Peculiar People” and differed from others on Earth because God ruled them by consent, not by his natural power. In God’s Kingdome, Moses was Lieutenant on Earth and was appointed by God to punish those who broke the rules.
Again, Hobbes makes it clear that the Jews as God’s “Peculiar People” had a covenant with God above and beyond the natural power God has over all human beings. Thus, God was also their sovereign power, which cannot be said about any other common-wealth on Earth. Thus, one always has an obligation to obey their sovereign above God.
Themes
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In a common-wealth, the punishment of those who break the law is usually executed by someone appointed by the sovereign power, like a guard or soldier; however, in Israel, the people executed the punishment, usually by stoning, and it was always the witnesses that threw the first stone. This practice ensured that all witnesses were heard before an accused criminal was punished.
Not only did this practice in Israel ensure that all witnesses were heard before a criminal was punished, it also ensured that innocents were not punished. As witnesses were tasked with throwing the first stone, if there are no witnesses (or victims), there was no crime to punish.
Themes
In Chapter 36, Hobbes says it is not known in what manner God spoke to Moses. However, Hobbes does not mean to say that God did not speak to Moses through visions or dreams. What Hobbes means is that God could not have spoken to Moses in a “Face to Face” or “Mouth to Mouth” way, as one cannot possibly understand the infinite and raw power that is “Divine Nature.”
Once again, Hobbes does not mean to imply that God did not speak to Moses whatsoever, he simply means that God could not have spoken to Moses in the traditional way. Thus, Hobbes does not reject religion and God, he only rejects Christian doctrine as it is usually interpreted.
Themes
As for Hobbes’s use of Holy Scripture and doctrine, he believes his principles are sound and his rationale is solid, as he has grounded sovereigns’ rights and subjects’ obligation and freedom according to the Law of Nature, which no one should be ignorant of. There is nothing in Hobbes’s entire book that he considers to be contrary to God’s Word, proper manners, or the public good. Thus, he believes his philosophy should be taught in all universities to counter the civil and moral doctrine of the Gentiles.
Many people in Hobbes’s day considered his treatment of Holy Scripture and doctrine blasphemous, but Hobbes argues this is only due to the broader misinterpretation of Holy Scripture. Hobbes’s interpretation of scripture is rooted in the Laws of Nature, which are God’s laws and cannot be sacrilegious. As this is merely a case of false interpretation—of Holy Scripture and past philosophies—Hobbes offers his own to correct this gross misinterpretation.
Themes
