The True Scotsman
1st May 2010, 04:56 PM
Leviathan is a political philosophy book written by the 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes. It has been influential to thinkers throughout the centuries from Adam Smith, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, and John Locke to John Steward Mill and Leo Strauss.
In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes makes the argument that man cannot be at peace unless he is governed by a strong central ruler. Through the book, Hobbes attempts to describe the proper role of sovereigns, subjects, and the Church and the consequences of diverting from those roles. One of his main argument is that each man has unlimited liberty and has right to everything and that this condition, which he calls the condition of nature, brings about conflict between others and creates a condition of war. He goes on to propose that man must mutually give up certain rights and liberty, by creating laws, in order to live in peace and that a strong central ruler is required to enforce these laws and deal out punishment in order to protect the peace. From this, we get one of the earliest references to Social Contract Theory.
As well, through out the book he attempt to explain what he deems is the proper interpretation of the Bible and compares God to a king rather than an all-loving figure. Throughout the book he makes criticism of the Christian institutions of his day and attempts to separate the "true doctrine" from what he believe is superstition and pious fraud. Many of Hobbes' views on religion were revolutionary in his time and went so far as to have people claim he was an atheist.
Although Hobbes is sometimes hard to follow and can even seem to contradict himself at time, overall the book is very well written and most of the time Hobbes' meaning is clear. For anyone interested in Social Contract Theory or perhaps wanting to hear an argument for a non-democratic system of government, this book will offer a enjoyable and interesting read.
As far as publishing companies go, I would suggest the Norton Critical Edition as it offers 100 pages of commentary in the back including response from some of Hobbes' contemporaries, responses from Hobbes on criticism to the book, and interpretations from modern political scientists.
In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes makes the argument that man cannot be at peace unless he is governed by a strong central ruler. Through the book, Hobbes attempts to describe the proper role of sovereigns, subjects, and the Church and the consequences of diverting from those roles. One of his main argument is that each man has unlimited liberty and has right to everything and that this condition, which he calls the condition of nature, brings about conflict between others and creates a condition of war. He goes on to propose that man must mutually give up certain rights and liberty, by creating laws, in order to live in peace and that a strong central ruler is required to enforce these laws and deal out punishment in order to protect the peace. From this, we get one of the earliest references to Social Contract Theory.
As well, through out the book he attempt to explain what he deems is the proper interpretation of the Bible and compares God to a king rather than an all-loving figure. Throughout the book he makes criticism of the Christian institutions of his day and attempts to separate the "true doctrine" from what he believe is superstition and pious fraud. Many of Hobbes' views on religion were revolutionary in his time and went so far as to have people claim he was an atheist.
Although Hobbes is sometimes hard to follow and can even seem to contradict himself at time, overall the book is very well written and most of the time Hobbes' meaning is clear. For anyone interested in Social Contract Theory or perhaps wanting to hear an argument for a non-democratic system of government, this book will offer a enjoyable and interesting read.
As far as publishing companies go, I would suggest the Norton Critical Edition as it offers 100 pages of commentary in the back including response from some of Hobbes' contemporaries, responses from Hobbes on criticism to the book, and interpretations from modern political scientists.