Philosophy

Leviathan

Leviathan

  • Downloads：4399
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-19 09:55:25
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Thomas Hobbes
  • ISBN：0199537283
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Leviathan 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。 This new edition reproduces the first printed text， retaining the original punctuation but modernizing the spelling。 It offers exceptionally thorough and useful annotation， an introduction that guides the reader through the complexities of Hobbes's arguments， and a substantial index。

Download

Reviews

hannah ，

finishing this at 47% bc im probably never going to read the rest outside of class even though it was great

Shem Doupe ，

Kinda difficult to read because of the way and the era in which it was written。 Definitely good to read if you’re working you’re way through the classics。 Not the hardest of them by any means but he doesn’t make it easy to maintain focus。 Try reading this with two screaming toddlers。 I dare you。 The book has made me think about how much of my rights I would be willing to cede to maintain a stable social contract that avoids conflict。 I don’t know the answer to that。。 but it has at least made me Kinda difficult to read because of the way and the era in which it was written。 Definitely good to read if you’re working you’re way through the classics。 Not the hardest of them by any means but he doesn’t make it easy to maintain focus。 Try reading this with two screaming toddlers。 I dare you。 The book has made me think about how much of my rights I would be willing to cede to maintain a stable social contract that avoids conflict。 I don’t know the answer to that。。 but it has at least made me think about it。 。。。more

Veselin Butchvarov ，

A bright fellow， a bit ahead of his time and yet deeply rooted in his era。 I feel like， he needed to find justification for the world around him more than the need to find future for the Leviathan。 Still， some of his thoughts ring true even today and can be used as a template for the growth we "as parts of the Leviathan" did。 Also， the concept of our constant state of war， serves as a warning， at least to me， to never let our guard down。 A bright fellow， a bit ahead of his time and yet deeply rooted in his era。 I feel like， he needed to find justification for the world around him more than the need to find future for the Leviathan。 Still， some of his thoughts ring true even today and can be used as a template for the growth we "as parts of the Leviathan" did。 Also， the concept of our constant state of war， serves as a warning， at least to me， to never let our guard down。 。。。more

Kawika ，

It was a nice read。

Genni ，

I would like to give this four stars， simply because I find it fascinating， but it honestly has too many glaring issues for that rating。 However， I appreciate this so much more the second time around， especially after learning more about the English Civil War， which I think is necessary for understanding what Hobbes is against。 Most people are probably aware of Hobbes’ general ideas; that men are afraid for their lives， have a natural right to defend their lives， and the product of this suspicio I would like to give this four stars， simply because I find it fascinating， but it honestly has too many glaring issues for that rating。 However， I appreciate this so much more the second time around， especially after learning more about the English Civil War， which I think is necessary for understanding what Hobbes is against。 Most people are probably aware of Hobbes’ general ideas; that men are afraid for their lives， have a natural right to defend their lives， and the product of this suspicion and right is a state of war。 In order to have peace， they create governments and he was an absolutist。 Hobbes never defines peace， which is interesting since he argues from definitions throughout the book， but it is his deepest concern and it becomes apparent that what he means by it is an absence of war。 I tend to think that people today would either define it more broadly， more positively， or would not prioritize it above other values to quite the point that Hobbes does。Hobbes advocates for absolute surrender to government， and his preferred， most stable government would be a monarchy。 He thinks people throw the term “tyranny” around too loosely and that they who do so just do not want to be governed。 During the English Civil War， there were too many people who fought under different banners in the name of their religious conscious and， according to Hobbes， this was the cause of the chaos （which is true， but of course Charles I is not without fault）。 Socrates would have been the ideal subject in Hobbes’ kingdom。 When Crito offered to break Socrates out of jail and he responds by saying that he who had not complained when things were going well for him could not now rebel when they pronounced against him。 However， he proposes that governments are built through individuals simultaneously and consciously surrendering to this contract， which is obviously not the case in almost any government， nor is it plausible to do so。Hobbes is on firmer ground when he turns his attention to Christians and begins to argue surrender to government from Scripture。 I do wish Christians in America would read this section and realize that some of what they are doing in the name of God is something entirely opposed to what Scripture teaches， but I digress。Hobbes has some interesting arguments on martyrdom。 He states that belief is a matter of the heart， and that Christians should not worry if their sovereign forces them to state that they do not believe。 Consistent with the ontology and civic philosophy laid out in parts 1 and 2， he maintains that the responsibility in such a case falls on the sovereign， to whom the Christian subject has surrendered and therefore bears no guilt in this case。 This is just an introduction to Hobbes’ different theological turns。 I read a phrase that I think describes his views perfectly: “unorthodox， but not unoriginal”。 He maintains a sort of Christian materialism and views of hell that will strike the reader as modern。 His views of man and nature are somewhat similar to those found in evolution。In short， his relentless reasoning is dazzling， and consistent， but there is still much to argue with and ultimately， his state building is not practical in application at all。 Read it to wrestle with it。 。。。more

Lucía ，

*partially read

Trey Smith ，

I give this book 4 stars for the overall impact and influence Leviathan has had in Western Society though in my opinion all negative。 I disagree with most of what Hobbes says。 He is very clear in his argumentation so there is no mistake on how he builds his case which ultimately results in a monarch over both state and church。 Hobbes nullifies all metaphysics and the immaterial due mostly from his strict empiricism。 He is quite openly heretical which is surprising given the time when written。 He I give this book 4 stars for the overall impact and influence Leviathan has had in Western Society though in my opinion all negative。 I disagree with most of what Hobbes says。 He is very clear in his argumentation so there is no mistake on how he builds his case which ultimately results in a monarch over both state and church。 Hobbes nullifies all metaphysics and the immaterial due mostly from his strict empiricism。 He is quite openly heretical which is surprising given the time when written。 He basically disregards personality of the Holy Spirit thus denying the Triune God， denies the personality of evil， and essentially denies eternal Hell along with other misinterpretations of Scripture。 It is also clear Hobbes rejects any notion of men being ruled by laws as he views men ruled by the power of others。 He essentially rejects transcendentals paving the way for modern liberalism。 I won’t lie this book was hard to get through but worth the read。 。。。more

Kara ，

and yet another instance of a m*n whom i'd love to punch at the dinner table and yet another instance of a m*n whom i'd love to punch at the dinner table 。。。more

Enzo ，

did not finish

Sam Reeve ，

One of the most significant treatises of the Enlightenment， and therefore， of modernity and the world we live in today。I see a lot of negative reviews of the text， mainly people are articulately their opinions as 'disagreeing' with his social contract， with his view of natural man and absolute monarchy。 This， may be the case from a 21st Century， 'Western' perspective。 But you need to， you HAVE to consider this work in greater context and detail before you submit your final verdict。If you conside One of the most significant treatises of the Enlightenment， and therefore， of modernity and the world we live in today。I see a lot of negative reviews of the text， mainly people are articulately their opinions as 'disagreeing' with his social contract， with his view of natural man and absolute monarchy。 This， may be the case from a 21st Century， 'Western' perspective。 But you need to， you HAVE to consider this work in greater context and detail before you submit your final verdict。If you consider the context in which Hobbes wrote， it immediately justifies the excruciating detail and length he delves to in order to supplant his message in the reader's mind。 He was a pacifist。 He had just beared witness to one of the most bloody periods in human existence。 This shaped the opinion of man to strive for peace and prosperity。 He， most definitely against his better desire， saw brutality in man - it was all he was ever exposed to。。。More than anything， Hobbes was inveighing against the prevailing Christian values that dominated at the time。 Hobbes took to great measure as to cover his back from the Church and the State。 In this period - if there is even the slightest hint of subversion to Christianity， I think we all know what comes next for the author。An Exoteric， who outwardly veils a secret teaching of some sort， identifies in this message a plea to the end of violence。 A hope， however unfounded this is。 Hobbes exposed his radical beliefs to the world with the intention of making change， and that is EXACTLY what he did。 He inspired a lot of change， and frankly shaped the enlightenment period on par with thinkers like Machiavelli， Rousseau and Locke。We need to think of Hobbes as providing as with a model of authority， dominance and legitimacy to further refine our beliefs of political theory as a whole。 Hobbes walked so we could run。 Without Leviathan， we could not have had all that came after it。 He gave us the roots of modern society and government to enable us to live with the peacefulness he had envisioned。It's upsetting to see a contemporary audience strip away the contextualism of a great work， to instead superimpose their own beliefs against a completely different period and set of ideas。 Give this book the time to weigh itself against other works around the time。 Look at it in context。 Look at its importance on modern society。 This is a truly special work and one of the most consequential in history。 。。。more

Adah B。 ，

Didn’t read the whole book， only chapters 13-15 for IH 4 class。Hobbes certainly has a bleak view of the human condition。 He believes that every action a person takes is motivated by the will for that person’s own survival， and that selfishness is the basic characteristic of every human being。 He doesn’t believe the problem is sin （which it is）， and he doesn’t even seem to think there really is such a thing as sin。 He believes the chief end of man is survival （which is pointless， because we’re al Didn’t read the whole book， only chapters 13-15 for IH 4 class。Hobbes certainly has a bleak view of the human condition。 He believes that every action a person takes is motivated by the will for that person’s own survival， and that selfishness is the basic characteristic of every human being。 He doesn’t believe the problem is sin （which it is）， and he doesn’t even seem to think there really is such a thing as sin。 He believes the chief end of man is survival （which is pointless， because we’re all gonna die anyway。 Our chief end is to glorify God。）， and thus we need a government that can channel our selfishness to ensure the survival of most men。 It was difficult to analyze， because at first glance his view of human nature seems right， but in class we came to the conclusion that Hobbes starts just a little off， but even being off a little bit in the beginning will have you drastically off in the end。 。。。more

chribbster ，

i feel like this is what machiavelli thought he was doing for political theory with the prince lol。 hobbes offers legitimate solutions to be considered when subjected to an authoritarian governance & for effective governmental conduct as a whole。 that’s not to say hobbes’ makes entirely sound points - he’s too misanthropic and nonsecular for me to actually lean into his political philosophies。 and yikes his advocation for absolutism … like we get it you’re quite the contrarian 🙄。 but regardless， i feel like this is what machiavelli thought he was doing for political theory with the prince lol。 hobbes offers legitimate solutions to be considered when subjected to an authoritarian governance & for effective governmental conduct as a whole。 that’s not to say hobbes’ makes entirely sound points - he’s too misanthropic and nonsecular for me to actually lean into his political philosophies。 and yikes his advocation for absolutism … like we get it you’re quite the contrarian 🙄。 but regardless， i’m quite impressed by how so many of the ideas he discusses and conceptualizes here of natural rights & state of nature， social contract theory， commonwealth etc。 prove to hold up today as foundational material to contemporary politics。 not rating this either bc this is literally just reading for theory class i’ve worked too closely with in this past month - can’t bother mulling over it atp。 。。。more

Ian ，

snoozeville

Marina ，

Only read the introduction and a few selections made by my teacher。This is definitely not for me。 It felt too stubborn and inflexible？ Don't know if I'm explaining myself correctly or if this is a quality that happens with all philosophy/Hobbes but it felt a little too stiff。 Only read the introduction and a few selections made by my teacher。This is definitely not for me。 It felt too stubborn and inflexible？ Don't know if I'm explaining myself correctly or if this is a quality that happens with all philosophy/Hobbes but it felt a little too stiff。 。。。more

Lingling ，

by Thomas Hobbes， about Power and Peace using a scientific method （political science）。 Hobbes活了92岁经历了17世纪英国动荡的政权，作为一个政治学家也是挺牛的。The grand conclusion of Hobbes’s analysis of human nature is that men are necessarily engaged in an incessant struggle for power over others （about man’s necessarily competitive search for power）。Hobbes认为人对死亡的恐惧是不言自明的。“Every man…shuns what is evil， but chiefly the chiefest of natural evils， which is death; and this he doth， by a certain impulsion of nature， no less than by Thomas Hobbes， about Power and Peace using a scientific method （political science）。 Hobbes活了92岁经历了17世纪英国动荡的政权，作为一个政治学家也是挺牛的。The grand conclusion of Hobbes’s analysis of human nature is that men are necessarily engaged in an incessant struggle for power over others （about man’s necessarily competitive search for power）。Hobbes认为人对死亡的恐惧是不言自明的。“Every man…shuns what is evil， but chiefly the chiefest of natural evils， which is death; and this he doth， by a certain impulsion of nature， no less than that whereby a stone moves downwards。”Hobbes提出的主权社会其实本质上是资本主义社会，虽然他认为内战的罪魁祸首是新兴的资产阶级，而他的理想主权国家的最终目的是避免内战。Macpherson认为Hobbes对平等的执念阻止了他认清阶层分化和资产阶级作为一个阶层凝聚力的必然性。Hobbes认为个体对权利的竞争本性使得他们愿意诚服于主权社会/政府，从而获得对个人财产和安全的保护。三百多年前的英语读起来比想象的容易一些，很多词拼法不同但很好猜，有些稍微难点，但多读几遍也猜出来了。比如Trayne for train，perswasion for persuasion。 当然也有些要查字典才知道啥意思（比如hearkened，devest）。后来听了另一本书才知道16世纪的英语已经是modern English了（from 400s through 1066 Old English， 1066 to 1400s Middle English， 1400s onwards Modern English）。总体来说很枯燥，很多定义啥的（关于法律，联邦，基督教联邦，基督教教义等等）。本书在历史上的重要性并非仅仅源于结论（反对君权神授，主张专制主权国家）而是方法（首次把政治提升到科学的高度，从个体推论到政权）。“Adherence to Custome， from ignorance of the nature of Right and Wrong…Which is the cause， that the doctrine of Right and Wrong， is perpetually disputed， both by the Pen and the Sword: whereas the doctrines of Lines， and Figures， is not so; because men care not， in that subject what be truth， as a thing that crosses no mans ambition， profit， or lust。” 。。。more

WarlockBravo ，

I stopped half way。

Reed Schwartz ，

Only read parts 1， 2 and conclusion。 Didn't feel like his geometric definition of meteorology was a very convincing argument in favor of being nice to the king but maybe that was just me。 Wish it had been a little solitary， poor， nasty， brutish， and shorter。 Only read parts 1， 2 and conclusion。 Didn't feel like his geometric definition of meteorology was a very convincing argument in favor of being nice to the king but maybe that was just me。 Wish it had been a little solitary， poor， nasty， brutish， and shorter。 。。。more

Jean François ，

Je n'ai pas lu ce livre => j'ai lu un livre français de chapitres choisis par Mr Crignon。 （edition GF）Ce livre est vraiment extrêmement intéressant a qui veut réfléchir à la constitution de notre société， aux fondements de ce qui fait de notre société cet espace de droits et des privations de libertés consenties ！Je crois qu'il est très important d'avoir lu et pris conscience de ce que représente la société à la base ！ Je n'ai pas lu ce livre => j'ai lu un livre français de chapitres choisis par Mr Crignon。 （edition GF）Ce livre est vraiment extrêmement intéressant a qui veut réfléchir à la constitution de notre société， aux fondements de ce qui fait de notre société cet espace de droits et des privations de libertés consenties ！Je crois qu'il est très important d'avoir lu et pris conscience de ce que représente la société à la base ！ 。。。more

Garth ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "I know not how the world will receive it， nor how it may reflect on those that shall seem to favor it。 For in a way beset with those that contend， on one side for too great Liberty， and on the other side for too much Authority， 'tis hard to passe between the points of both unwounded。" The Epistle Dedicatory， Paris， April 15-25， 1651 He that is to govern a whole Nation， must read in himself， not this， or that particular man; but Mankind; which though it be hard to do， harder than to learn any La "I know not how the world will receive it， nor how it may reflect on those that shall seem to favor it。 For in a way beset with those that contend， on one side for too great Liberty， and on the other side for too much Authority， 'tis hard to passe between the points of both unwounded。" The Epistle Dedicatory， Paris， April 15-25， 1651 He that is to govern a whole Nation， must read in himself， not this， or that particular man; but Mankind; which though it be hard to do， harder than to learn any Language， or Science; yet， when I shall have set down my own reading orderly， and perspicuously， the pains left another， will be only to consider， if he also find not the same in himself。 For this kind of Doctrine， admitteth no other Demonstration。 The Introduction， p。 2What are the writings that earned Hobbes his philosophical fame？ His most famous work is Leviathan， a classic of English prose （1651; a slightly altered Latin edition appeared in 1668）。 Leviathan expands on the argument of De Cive， mostly in terms of its huge second half that deals with questions of religion。 Other important works include: De Corpore [On the Body] （1655）， which deals with questions of metaphysics; De Homine [On Man] （1657）; and Behemoth （published 1682， though written rather earlier）， in which Hobbes gives his account of England’s Civil Wars。 But to understand the essentials of Hobbes’s ideas and system， one can rely on De Cive and Leviathan。 It is also worth noting that， although Leviathan is more famous and more often read， De Cive actually gives a much more straightforward account of Hobbes’s ideas。Hobbes’s contempt for scholastic philosophy is boundless。 Leviathan and other works are littered with references to the “frequency of insignificant speech” in the speculations of the scholastics， with their combinations of Christian theology and Aristotelian metaphysics。 Hobbes’s reaction， apart from much savage and sparkling sarcasm， is twofold。 In the first place， he makes very strong claims about the proper relation between religion and politics。 He was not （as many have charged） an atheist， but he was deadly serious in insisting that theological disputes should be kept out of politics。 （He also adopts a strongly materialist metaphysics， that—as his critics were quick to charge—makes it difficult to account for God’s existence as a spiritual entity。） For Hobbes， the sovereign should determine the proper forms of religious worship， and citizens never have duties to God that override their duty to obey political authority。 Second， this reaction against scholasticism shapes the presentation of Hobbes’s own ideas。 He insists that terms be clearly defined and relate to actual concrete experiences—part of his empiricism。 Hobbes’s determination to avoid the “insignificant” （that is， meaningless） speech of the scholastics also overlaps with his admiration for the emerging physical sciences and for geometry。 His admiration is not so much for the emerging method of experimental science， but rather for deductive science—science that deduces the workings of things from basic first principles and from true definitions of the basic elements。 Hobbes therefore approves a mechanistic view of science and knowledge， one that models itself very much on the clarity and deductive power exhibited in proofs in geometry。 It is fair to say that this a priori account of science has found little favor after Hobbes’s time。 It looks rather like a dead-end on the way to the modern idea of science based on patient observation， theory-building and experiment。 Nonetheless， it certainly provided Hobbes with a method that he follows in setting out his ideas about human nature and politics。 As presented in Leviathan， especially， Hobbes seems to build from first elements of human perception and reasoning， up to a picture of human motivation and action， to a deduction of the possible forms of political relations and their relative desirability。 Once more， it can be disputed whether this method is significant in shaping those ideas， or merely provides Hobbes with a distinctive way of presenting them。This is， by far， one of the most wonderful books I've read。 Not for some of his ideas or his Elizabethan love of adding an extra vowel or two to the commentary but for the way he effortlessly dissects his own ideas and those of his century and renders them in exquisite prose。 If not for the social or religious commentary， read it for the sheer artwork of language and verse。 。。。more

Christos ，

While he gets a lot of things wrong， the structures that Hobbes gestures at are insightful and thought provoking。 Excellent work of fiction。

Chris Vaz ，

For a book called the Leviathan， there is a depressing lack of actual detail and explanation by what he actually means。 Certainly there are some brilliant and cogent arguments about the significance of the sovereign and their state， and about the nature of the contract between subjects and the sovereign。Separately the arguments for why the sovereign and not the pope is head of the state and has ultimate authority， is some of the most in depth religious and philosophical analysis that exists。Unfo For a book called the Leviathan， there is a depressing lack of actual detail and explanation by what he actually means。 Certainly there are some brilliant and cogent arguments about the significance of the sovereign and their state， and about the nature of the contract between subjects and the sovereign。Separately the arguments for why the sovereign and not the pope is head of the state and has ultimate authority， is some of the most in depth religious and philosophical analysis that exists。Unfortunately， the book is almost 2 completely separate books in one， which I personally struggle to see the end synthesis of。 The ideas of a true aristocracy （closer to a meritocracy） and a democracy （closer to Marxist anarchy） and why one should be chosen over the other do have solid justifications and reasoning， but too much of the book eventually meanders into meaningless paths that never lead to the point。I would still recommend reading， as a foundational text of modern politics， with some very well argued political discourse to think about。 。。。more

Reed Inn ，

I did try very hard not to measure this work through a modern moral lens， since I strongly disagree with many thoughts Hobbes expressed in his book。 It went well up to the point where I read the following passage: "And when all the world is overchargd with Inhabitants， then the last remedy of all is Warre; which provideth for every man， by Victory， or Death。" （Chap。 XXX Of the Office of the Soveraign Representative） - quite a dangerous （and therefore stupid） thought to spread around， even for 16 I did try very hard not to measure this work through a modern moral lens， since I strongly disagree with many thoughts Hobbes expressed in his book。 It went well up to the point where I read the following passage: "And when all the world is overchargd with Inhabitants， then the last remedy of all is Warre; which provideth for every man， by Victory， or Death。" （Chap。 XXX Of the Office of the Soveraign Representative） - quite a dangerous （and therefore stupid） thought to spread around， even for 1651。 。。。more

Urayoán Verges-Rodríguez ，

'The tyrant's guide to totalitarianism。' I know of the horrible reputation this book has， but I wanted to read it for myself and determine if， besides the infamous winded sections of how to kill， torture， and oppress the citizens of a nation， maybe it had some other value。 But the other sections are pointless and really offer nothing of value either。 An absolute waste of time， this book is just the ramblings of a sociopath jumping through ideological hoops and doing all manner of mental gymnasti 'The tyrant's guide to totalitarianism。' I know of the horrible reputation this book has， but I wanted to read it for myself and determine if， besides the infamous winded sections of how to kill， torture， and oppress the citizens of a nation， maybe it had some other value。 But the other sections are pointless and really offer nothing of value either。 An absolute waste of time， this book is just the ramblings of a sociopath jumping through ideological hoops and doing all manner of mental gymnastics in order to justify mass persecution and slaughter by the State。 。。。more

Cláudio Valério ，

He's not a very good writer and I read him so I can oppose his views thoroughly but in the end I give it a positive review， possibly so I can say that this masochist of a reading made some sense « He's not a very good writer and I read him so I can oppose his views thoroughly but in the end I give it a positive review， possibly so I can say that this masochist of a reading made some sense « 。。。more

Cihan Deniz ，

worst edition of a classic

Angie Ryan ，

This is an amazing book！ It is so hard to believe that Hobbes wrote this in 1651 and that so many of the ideas that he came up with for it were used in the creation of the US Declaration of Independence。 He was a brilliant man and we are so lucky that the founders knew of his work！ This was a suggested reading for a class that I am taking on revolutionary ideas and was well worth the many hours that it took to get through the whole thing， not just the required passages。

MJ Jabarian ，

A Genius

Astir ，

OK， so， you're probably a politics or law wonk who is interested in reading this for a substantial defence of why rule by an absolute soverign is necessary for the peaceful cohesion of society。 While that sure is in there， what you probably haven't been told is that it's in there heavily buried amongst another 90% of the book being wearingly incessant 17th century banging on about God at each and every opportunity - and that you may come out knowing more about angels and demons than you do polit OK， so， you're probably a politics or law wonk who is interested in reading this for a substantial defence of why rule by an absolute soverign is necessary for the peaceful cohesion of society。 While that sure is in there， what you probably haven't been told is that it's in there heavily buried amongst another 90% of the book being wearingly incessant 17th century banging on about God at each and every opportunity - and that you may come out knowing more about angels and demons than you do political science。 。。。more

Ricardo ，

This edition of Leviathan contains only the first two （of four） books which make up Leviathan。 An Editor's choice due to the fact that the last two books were mostly focused on religion and the specific context on Hobbes' contemporary century。 Given that， my opinion is based solely on the first two chapters of Leviathan。In the first chapter Hobbes analyses/evaluates Man in terms of its behavior， ideas， fears， etc and basically summarizes in the following: man， when free of restraints as in the b This edition of Leviathan contains only the first two （of four） books which make up Leviathan。 An Editor's choice due to the fact that the last two books were mostly focused on religion and the specific context on Hobbes' contemporary century。 Given that， my opinion is based solely on the first two chapters of Leviathan。In the first chapter Hobbes analyses/evaluates Man in terms of its behavior， ideas， fears， etc and basically summarizes in the following: man， when free of restraints as in the basic Nature state， is equal and free to do as it suits to ensure its welfare。 Thus， in Nature， Man's normal state is of a constant war to ensure its liberty and safety。Thus， comes the second chapter of the book where Hobbes details the Commonwealth。 Clearly influenced by its time， specifically the civil in war in England。 Hobbes describes the Commonwealth as a social contract between a sovereign （which can be a single individual or an assembly of individuals） selected by its subjects， where all power is placed upon the sovereign to ensure the safety and welfare of the subjects。 Hobbes then goes into detailing how such contract works （what are the responsibilities， powers and limitations of it） for all parties， as well as showing when a sovereign should be removed for "breach of contract"A book to be read having in mind that its conclusions are strongly linked to Hobbes contemporary society。 Transposing it directly to our current days， produces no value。 。。。more

Anastasia Bodrug ，

După jumătate de an， în sfârșit pot spune că am terminat lectura Leviatanului！ URA！O lucrare foarte dificilă și cam plictisitoare pentru mine， sincer să spun。 Nu mii rușine să recunosc că așa carte "intelectuală" nu mi-a plăcut。 Pur și simplu eu cred că nu am încă acele capacități mentale ca să pot primi plăcere din astfel de lectură。Unele dintre capitole mi-au fost interesante， dar majoritatea mi-au fost greu de citit， în special ultima dintre cărțile despre statul creștin （din simplul motiv că După jumătate de an， în sfârșit pot spune că am terminat lectura Leviatanului！ URA！O lucrare foarte dificilă și cam plictisitoare pentru mine， sincer să spun。 Nu mii rușine să recunosc că așa carte "intelectuală" nu mi-a plăcut。 Pur și simplu eu cred că nu am încă acele capacități mentale ca să pot primi plăcere din astfel de lectură。Unele dintre capitole mi-au fost interesante， dar majoritatea mi-au fost greu de citit， în special ultima dintre cărțile despre statul creștin （din simplul motiv că religia absolut defel nu mă interesează）。 Ceea ce vreau să observ este că aceasta este un fel de explicație a lucrurilor evidente， după care începi să înțelegi domeniul juridic un pic altfel。 Ei bine， opinia lui Hobbes în ceea ce privește monarhia și suveranul echitabil este puțin utopică， dar are dreptul la existență。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Leviathan

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Leviathan&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Leviathan&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0