Thomas Hobbes Influence

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher in the 17th century that is best known for his book Leviathan and his political views. Hobbes’ father was disgraced and forced to leave their town, because of this, Thomas’s uncle is most responsible for his upbringing and his education. At the early age of 14, Hobbes was already studying at oxford. Soon after, he became a tutor for a very affluent family, the Cavendish’s. Hobbes often traveled with the family and learned about many cultures across Europe. Through his ties with the cavendish family, Thomas became involved with European courts and advised kings. Although Hobbes was not “properly” trained in the world of mathematics, he picked up a wealth of knowledge and became infatuated with

In Leviathan, which was written during the English Civil Wars, Hobbes argues for the necessity and natural evolution of the social contract, a social construct in which individuals mutually unite into political societies, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept resultant duties to protect themselves and one another from whatever might come otherwise. He also advocated rule by an absolute sovereign, saying that “chaos; and other situations identified with a "state of nature" could be averted only by a strong central government, one with the power of the biblical Leviathan, which would protect people from their own selfishness. He also warned of "the war of all against all,” a motto that went on to greater fame and represented Hobbes ' view of humanity without government. After returning to England, Hobbes published two final works that completed the Elements of Philosophy. In modern society, Hobbes ' ideas are used to form the building blocks of nearly all Western political thought, including the right of the individual, the importance of republican government, and the idea that acts are allowed if they are not expressly forbidden. Hobbes died on December 4,