Leviathan Themes

Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, first published in 1651, is an ambitious philosophical work that covers numerous topics, including science, religion, and politics. However, Hobbes’s primary argument focuses on the state of humankind in nature—that is, how a human being behaves outside of civilized society. The state of humankind in nature prior to the advent of civilized society was a popular philosophical topic in Hobbes’s day, and most philosophers based their arguments on the…

One of Thomas Hobbes’s central arguments in Leviathan is that people moved out of nature and into civil societies to establish a common power. Building on that argument, Hobbes outlines the ways in which a common power is established and maintained. When creating a common power, any number of people enter into a contract, or covenant, in which they agree to forfeit their right to self-preservation and give that right to a single…

Fear is present throughout most of Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan. In 1651, when Leviathan was first published, England was nearing the end of the English Civil War, a 10-year conflict that pitted the “Cavaliers” (those who supported the monarchy) against the “Roundheads” (those who supported Parliament). The English Civil War saw the abolition of the monarchy, the execution of King Charles I, and the near destruction of English society. Fear and uncertainty were a…

Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan is a work of political philosophy, and philosophy in general is a prominent theme within the book. Hobbes argues that all areas of study—politics, poetry, science, and the like—fall under the greater umbrella of philosophy, and he further asserts that all philosophy is rooted in opinion, not in fact. As philosophy is not necessarily rooted in sound reason and fact, it can, according to Hobbes, be completely absurd at times…