Publisher Description
He that is to govern a whole nation, must read in himself, not this, or that particular man; but mankind.
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbs is both a magnificent literary achievement and the greatest work of political philosophy in the English language. Permanently challenging, it has found new applications and new refutations in every generation. Hobbes argues that human beings are first and foremost concerned with their own individual desires and fears. He shows that a conflict of each against every man can only be avoided by the adoption of a compact to enforce peace. The compact involves giving up some of our natural freedom to a sovereign power which will enforce the laws of peace on all citizens. Hobbes also analyses the subversive forces—religion, ambition, private conscience—that threaten to destroy the body politic, Leviathan itself, and return us to the state of war.
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About Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was born in Wiltshire, England. Educated at Oxford, where he studied classics, he later became tutor to the son of William Cavendish, Baron of Hardwick. His first published work was a translation of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War in 1628. An interest in science and philosophy soon developed, heightened by extended travels in Europe. This led to Leviathan—the crowning achievement of his political science. It was so influential that it came under widespread attack and was in danger of condemnation by the House of Commons. Hobbes perforce lived quietly and published little more on political matters. At the age of eighty-four, he composed an autobiography in Latin verse and within the next three years translated the whole of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad.
About a full cast
R. F. Daley is an actor, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. His television credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bones, Dexter, The Office, Arrested Development, Boston Public, and Spin City, among many others. He has narrated numerous audiobooks by L. Ron Hubbard and was the voice of the military adviser in the video game Civilization V.