Social Theorist

Thomas Hobbes

Sociology

Thomas Hobbes (1588 to 1679) was an English philosopher and political theorist, born in Westport near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. He is best known for Leviathan (1651), which sets out an influential form of social contract theory: because life without a common power would be a war of all against all, people consent to an absolute sovereign who keeps the peace. He had lived through the English Civil War and wrote with that conflict in mind. His other major works include De Cive (1642), De Corpore (1655) and De Homine (1658), and he also wrote on history, jurisprudence, optics, ethics and theology, translating Thucydides into English. He was accused of atheism and argued bitterly with contemporaries, yet he is counted among the founders of modern political philosophy.

Facts
Birth Year
1588 1
Subfield
Political Theory 2
Connections

Institutions Informed

Source Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Same As

Also in Literature Atlas: the same subject.

Also in Philosophy Atlas: the same subject.

Also in Political Atlas: the same subject.

Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Thomas Hobbes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyLife and Works
Quote, Life and Works
Thomas Hobbes was born on 5 April 1588.
View the Source
2. Thomas Hobbes (Wikipedia)
Lead, political theory
Quote, Lead, political theory
was an English philosopher and political theorist
View the Source
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Wikipedia)
Institutions Informed: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Political philosophy
Quote, Institutions Informed: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Political philosophy
Rousseau based his political philosophy on contract theory and his reading of Thomas Hobbes.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

Society and Culture Atlas

How People Live Together
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme