The English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was one of the central figures of British empiricism. His major work, "Leviathan," published in 1651, expressed his principle of materialism and his concept of a social contract...

Though he had already written a summary of Aristotle's Rhetoric in Latin and later wrote about logic, Hobbes would probably deserve no more than a footnote in the history of rhetoric if he had not published Leviathan, or the Matter, Forme, and Power of...

Thomas Hobbes lived for ninety-one of the most eventful years in the history of England. Born in the year of England's defeat of the Spanish Armada, he fled to France during the civil war, fled back just before the Restoration, lived through the Great...

Thomas Hobbes is one of the most important figures in the development of modern science and modern politics. As a contemporary of Bacon, Galileo and Descartes, he contributed to the radical critique of medieval Scholasticism and classical philosophy...

The American Revolution placed Anglican clergy in a unique situation, for on ordination they swore oaths to support the English monarch. Nevertheless, almost half of the colonial Anglican clergy decided to support the Revolution. Emotionally and...

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) is perhaps the most important English political theorist. Potential rivals for such a title, such as John Locke, have rough counterparts in other theoretical traditions, but Hobbes may be unique. He wrote during the time...

. 1588–1679, Born at Malmesbury he lived in England and France. He is now best known for his political philosophy, defending an absolute sovereignty as the only way to ensure social security and prevent life from being ‘solitary, poor,...

Thomas Hobbes (5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, whose famous 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation for most of Western political philosophy. Hobbes is remembered today for his work on political philosophy,...

Monarch Notes 01-01-1963 Preface This commentary covers Books I and II of Hobbe's Leviathan and Locke's Treatise of Civil Government, which contain the authors' chief political ideas. It is fitting that Hobbes and Locke should be considered together for at least three reasons. First,...

Jeffrey R. Collins. The Allegiance of Thomas Hobbes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. xii + 314 pp. index. bibl. $99. ISBN: 0-19-926847-9. Perhaps many still think of Hobbes as the foremost apologist of Stuart absolutist monarchy. As a royalist, it is...

Today is Thursday, May 31, the 151st day of 2007. There are 214 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On May 31, 1889, more than 2,000 people perished when a dam break sent water rushing through Johnstown, Pa.On this date:In 1809, composer Franz Joseph...

The other side holds no elections. No one in Al Qaeda has called for a timetable whereby they would begin to stop blowing up Iraqis and crusaders. No one in Iran has proposed a bipartisan commission to re-examine the country’s nuclear program, or its war...

In the following excerpt, Stephen examines Hobbes's conception of both the law of nature and the social contract.

In the following excerpt, Saxonhouse discusses three newly-attributed, pre-scientific writings of the young Hobbes.

In the following excerpt, Dewey examines Hobbes's political philosophy in historical context. Because the editors were unable to determine the exact date of this essay, Dewey's death date has been used.

This paper address "the fool's" objection to Hobbes' theory of the importance of establishing a social contract, and therefore a political society. Then provides Hobbes' response.

Discusses how the views of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and J.J. Rousseau on man impacted their philosophy of government.

In his philosophical work, Self-Interest, Thomas Hobbes constructs a model for all civil governments. He argues that men are born with an instinct for self-interest and self-protection, entitles them to increase their satisfaction or fight for their safety by any means possible. Without legislation, they can't be held responsible or be punished for actions, driven by their survival instinct.