Book 3: Chapter 8, Hobbes' Leviathan Summary and Analysis

Hobbes (1588-1679) was an empiricist and a philosopher difficult to classify. He dealt with mathematics, pure mathematics, and its applications while being attracted more by Galileo than Bacon. English empiricism was less influenced by mathematics and thought like Platonism. He had various deficiencies in his research such as impatience, crudeness, and omission of difficult facts.

His father, vicar lost his job and Hobbes was raised by his uncle. After learning the classics he translated The Medea by Eurypides. At Oxford he learnt scholastic logic and Aristotle. In 1610 he started teaching Lord Hardwick, learning Galileo and Kepler's work. Lord Harwick became his patron until he died in 1628. Hobbes met Ben Johns, Bacon, and Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

Hobbes expressed Royalist views in the Leviathan. He regarded democracy as evil, attacking the Catholic Church, and advocating rationalism...