Sign-In
Cart
Leviathan - THE MATTER, FORME, & POWER OF A COMMON-WEALTH ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVILL: The 100 best nonfiction books: No 94 - Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Paperback
Biographies GeneralChristian LivingGeneral Political Science
ISBN13: 9781088176641
Publisher: Midas Touch Gems
Published: Jun 17 2023
Pages: 632
Weight: 1.84
Height: 1.27 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The 100 best nonfiction books: No 94 - Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651)
According to the 17th-century historian and gossip John Aubrey, Thomas Hobbes was wont to say that if he had read as much as other men, he should have known no more than other men. As a great thinker, Hobbes epitomises English common sense and the amateur spirit, and is all the more appealing for deriving his philosophy from his experience as a scholar and man of letters, a contemporary and occasional associate of Galileo, Descartes and the young Charles Stuart, prince of Wales, before the Restoration.
Hobbes himself was born an Elizabethan, and liked to say that his premature birth in 1588 was caused by his mother's anxiety at the threat of the Spanish Armada:
... it was my mother dear
Did bring forth twins at once, both me, and fear.
Throughout his long life, Hobbes was never far either from the jeopardy of the times (notably the thirty years' war and the English civil war) or the jeopardy sponsored by the brooding realism and pragmatic clarity of his philosophy. What, asked Hobbes, was the form of politics that would provide the security that he and his contemporaries longed for, but were always denied?
frontispeice of leviathan by thomas hobbes
The famous frontispiece to Leviathan. Photograph: Alamy
Subtitled The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil, Leviathan first appeared in 1651, during the Cromwell years, with perhaps the most famous title page in the English canon, an engraving of an omnipotent giant, composed of myriad tiny human figures, looming above a pastoral landscape with sword and crosier erect.
Thus the Leviathan (sovereign power) entered the English lexicon, and Hobbes's vision of man as not naturally a social being, animated by a respect for community, but a purely selfish creature, motivated by personal advantage, became condensed into his celebrated summary of mankind's existence as solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short.
It was Hobbes's argument that, to ameliorate these conditions, man should adopt certain Laws of Nature by which human society would be forbidden to do that which is destructive of life, whereby virtue would be the means of peaceful, sociable and comfortable living.
The first law of nature is: every man ought to endeavour peace. This, he argues, will be a hard goal: the general inclination of all mankind is a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. The second law of nature is: a man [must] be willing when others are so too ... to lay down his right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself. The third law of nature is: men performe their Covenants made.
This, in essence, adds up to Hobbes's social contract, enforced by an external power. Accordingly, members of civil society should enter into a contract to confer their power and strength upon one Man, or upon an Assembly of men ... This done, the Multitude so united in one Person, is called a Common-wealth. For Hobbes, the contracting of such power is the only guarantee of peace and prosperity: During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is every man against every man.
Also from
Hobbes, Thomas
Behemoth. By: Thomas Hobbes, Edited By: Ferdinand Tonnies.: Behemoth, is a book written by Thomas Hobbes discussing the English Civil War.
Hobbes, Thomas
Tönnies, Ferdinand
Paperback
The Prince (1532), The Leviathan (1651), The Two Treatises of Government (1689), The Social Contract (1762), The Constitution of Pennsylvania (1776):
Hobbes, Thomas
Machiavelli, Niccolò
Locke, John
Paperback
Gateway to the Social Contract: Selections from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, John Locke's Second Treastise on Government, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's the
Locke, John
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
The Plague of Athens, which hapned in the second year of the Peloponnesian Warre; First described in Greek by Thucydides; then in Latin by Lucretius.
Sprat, Thomas
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Oeuvres Philosophiques Et Politiques De Thomas Hobbes: Contenant Les Eléments Du Citoyen...
Hobbes, Thomas
Sorbière, Samuel
Paperback
Aristotle's Treatise On Rhetoric: Literally Translated With Hobbes' Analysis, Examination Questions, and an Appendix Containing the Greek Definitions
Hobbes, Thomas
Aristotle
Hardcover
Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme & Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civill
Waller, A. R. 1867-1922
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Leviathan: The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Leviathan; Or, the Matter, Form and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 3
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Paperback
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 5
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Oeuvres Philosophiques Et Politiques De Thomas Hobbes: Contenant Le Corps Politique & La Nature Humaine
Sorbière, Samuel
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Léviathan Ou La Matière, La Forme Et La Puissance d'Un État Ecclésiastique Et Civil
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 3
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Hardcover
Leviathan: or the Matter, Forme, & Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civill
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiastical and Civill
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme & Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civill
Hobbes, Thomas
Waller, A. R. 1867-1922
Paperback
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 4
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (Of 11)
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (Of 11)
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Paperback
The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (Of 11)
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (Of 11)
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Hardcover
The Plague of Athens, Which Hapned in the Second Year of the Peloponnesian Warre
Hobbes, Thomas
Thucydides
Sprat, Thomas
Paperback
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia, Volume 3...
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Paperback
Hobbes's Leviathan; Harrington's Ocean; Famous Pamphlets [A.D. 1644 to A.D. 1795]
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Hobbes's Leviathan; Harrington's Ocean; Famous Pamphlets [A.D. 1644 to A.D. 1795]
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
De la nature humaine, ou exposition des facultÃ(c)s, des actions & des passions de l'ame, ... Par Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
De la nature humaine, ou exposition des facultÃ(c)s, des actions & des passions de l'ame, ... Par Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Thomae Hobbes Malmesburiensis Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta; Volume 1
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Paperback
Oeuvres Philosophiques Et Politiques De Thomas Hobbes: Contenant Les Eléments Du Citoyen...
Sorbière, Samuel
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 4
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Thomae Hobbes Malmesburiensis Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta; Volume 1
Molesworth, William
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
The Metaphysical System of Hobbes as Contained in Twelve Chapters From his Elements of Philosophy Concerning Body, Together With Briefer Extracts From
Calkins, Mary Whiton
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
The Metaphysical System of Hobbes as Contained in Twelve Chapters From his Elements of Philosophy Concerning Body, Together With Briefer Extracts From
Calkins, Mary Whiton
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
The Plague of Ahtens [Sic]: Which Hapened [Sic] in the Second Year of the Peloponnesian War
Sprat, Thomas
Thucydides, Thomas
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Leviathan; Or, the Matter, Form and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia, Volume 3...
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Hardcover
Des Engländers Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, oder der kirchliche und bürgerliche Staat: Erster Band.
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
Aristotle's Treatise On Rhetoric: Literally Translated With Hobbes' Analysis, Examination Questions, and an Appendix Containing the Greek Definitions
Aristotle
Hobbes, Thomas
Paperback
The Plague of Ahtens [Sic]: Which Hapened [Sic] in the Second Year of the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides, Thomas
Hobbes, Thomas
Sprat, Thomas
Hardcover
Opera Philosophica Quae Latine Scripsit Omnia,: In Unum Corpus Nunc Primum Collecta Studio Et Labore Gulielmi Molesworth; Volume 5
Hobbes, Thomas
Molesworth, William
Hardcover
Spinoza und Hobbes: Begründung ihrer Staats- und Religionstheorieen durch ihre philosophischen Systeme.
Dessauer, Moritz
Spinoza, Benedictus De
Hobbes, Thomas
Hardcover
Spinoza und Hobbes: Begründung ihrer Staats- und Religionstheorieen durch ihre philosophischen Systeme
Spinoza, Benedictus De
Hobbes, Thomas
Dessauer, Moritz
Paperback
Also in
Biographies General
Bluesland: Portraits of Thirteen Major American Blues Masters
Pete Welding (ED.)
Toby Byron (ED.)
Hardcover
Karl Popper - The Formative Years, 1902 1945: Politics and Philosophy in Interwar Vienna
Hacohen, Malachi Haim
Hardcover
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Make It a Double: From Wretched to Wondrous: Tales of One Woman's Lifelong Discovery of Whisky
Sackier, Shelley
Hardcover
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Isaacson, Walter
Hardcover
An Enemy Such as This: Larry Casuse and the Fight for Native Liberation in One Family on Two Continents Over Three Centuries
Correia, David
Hardcover
Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Forçade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s
Howe, Sean
Hardcover
Someday Mija, You'll Learn the Difference Between a Whore and a Working Woman: A Memoir
Martinez, Yvonne
Paperback
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich
Wittman, Robert K.
Kinney, David
Paperback
Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work: The Rise of Womens Political Culture, 1830-1900
Sklar, Kathryn Kish
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Purnell, Sonia
Hardcover
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Seafaring Women: Adventures of Pirate Queens, Female Stowaways, and Sailors' Wives
Cordingly, David
Paperback
The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy: A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry
Cherington, Gretchen
Paperback
Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man
Lame Deer, Chief Archie Fire
Erdoes, Richard
Paperback
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
Dessa Wander
Hardcover
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Giuffre, Virginia Roberts
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Kuehn, Christine
Hardcover
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground
Dohrn, Zayd Ayers
Hardcover
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
Homeschooled: A New York Times Bestselling Memoir and Read with Jenna Pick
Merrill Block, Stefan
Hardcover
Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans
Jones, Sheinelle
Hardcover