Hobbes: Leviathan, Behemoth, The Elements of Law & De Cive
About this book
Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. His 1651 book Leviathan established social contract theory, the foundation of most later Western political philosophy.Leviathan was written by Hobbes in 1651 concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory and ranks as a classic western work on statecraft. The book derives its name from the biblical LeviathanBehemoth was written in 1668 as a follow-up to Leviathan. Leviathan is a representation of an ideal political world, and Behemoth has been considered to be a contrasting treatise on what happens when the very worst abuses of government come to pass. Hobbes applied his understanding of the science of human nature to explain why the English Civil War came to pass.The Elements of Law was published in 1650. It is divided into two separate small volumes (Human Nature, or the Fundamental Elements of Policie and De corpore politico, or the Elements of Law, Moral and Politick).De Cive ("On the citizen") is one of Hobbes' major works. The book was published originally in Latin from Paris in 1642. The English translation of the work made its first appearance four years later (London 1651) under the title 'Philosophicall rudiments concerning government and society'. It anticipates themes of the better-known Leviathan. The famous phrase bellum omnium contra omnes ("war of all against all") appeared first in De Cive.