Leviathan (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) - Softcover

Hobbes, Thomas

3.71

47,473 ratings by Goodreads

9780760755938: Leviathan (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0760755930 ISBN 13: 9780760755938

Publisher: Barnes & Noble, 2004

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

After the publication of his masterpiece of political theory, Leviathan, Or the Matter, and Power of Commonwealth Ecclesiastic and Civil, in 1651, opponents charged Thomas Hobbes with atheism and banned and burned his books. The English Parliament, in a search for scapegoats, even claimed that the theories found in Leviathan were a likely cause of the Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666.

For the modern reader, though, Hobbes is more recognized for his popular belief that humanity's natural condition is a state of perpetual war, with life being "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Despite frequent challenges by other philosophers, Leviathan's secular theory of absolutism no longer stands out as particularly objectionable. In the description of the organization of states, moreover, we see Hobbes as strikingly current in his use of concepts that we still employ today, including the ideas of natural law, natural rights, and the social contract. Based on this work, one could even argue that Hobbes created English-language philosophy, insofar as Leviathan was the first great philosophical work written in English and one whose impact continues to the present day.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Book Description:

Hobbes' Leviathan is arguably the greatest piece of political philosophy written in the English language. Richard Tuck's edition has been recognized as the single most accurate and authoritative text since its publication. This revised edition includes a much-amplified and expanded introduction.

From the Publisher:

Library of Liberal Arts title.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.