Leviathan

Leviathan is a work of political philosophy published in 1651 by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Written during the English Civil Wars of the 17th century, the book is enormously influential as a pioneering work of social contract theory, which dictates that citizens of a sovereign state consent to give up certain rights to authority figures in exchange for domestic order and protection from foreign invaders. Absent this contract with authority, Hobbes argues, humans will devolve into a state of total and perpetual war with one another, a condition described by modern scholars as “Hobbesian.” The title refers to the Book of Job, likening the sea creature leviathan from that story to an all-powerful and fear-inducing sovereign ruler. This study guide refers to the 1994 edition published by Hackett Publishing.

Leviathan is divided into four parts. In Part 1, “Of Man,” Hobbes writes that humankind is governed first and foremost by natural laws dictating that each individual prioritize self-preservation above all else. In the absence of a central authority figure, there is nothing to restrain humans from existing in a state of perpetual war with one another in which resources, honor, and glory are all fought over in an endless cycle of violence.