Leviatano by Thomas Hobbes
The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil
A foundational political treatise arguing that in the natural condition humans exist in constant fear, competition, and insecurity—life being “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”—so they rationally consent to a social contract that creates an artificial sovereign to secure peace and common defense. By transferring individual rights to this authority, citizens gain protection and civil order; the work defends strong, undivided sovereign power as the only reliable means to prevent a return to violent chaos and grounds political obligation in the desire for self-preservation, complementing its materialist account of human passions and practical morality.
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- Published
- 1651
- Nationality
- English
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 600-700 pages
- Original Language
- English
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- Alternate Titles
-
- Leviatano
- Leviatán
- Léviathan
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