Katie, Kendra, Matt, Emily, Sarah

Are people basically good or bad? In 1651, Hobbes wrote his most famous work: Leviathan. In it, he argued that people were naturally wicked and could not be trusted to govern. Therefore, Hobbes believed that an absolute monarchy - a government that gave all power to a king or queen - was best. Governments were created, according to Hobbes, to protect people from their own selfishness and evil. These were Thomas Hobbes’ most important ideas.

Leviathan In Leviathan, Hobbes portrays the commonwealth as a gigantic human form made out of the bodies of its citizens, with the sovereign as its head. Hobbes calls this creature the “Leviathan,” a word that comes from the Hebrew word for “sea monster”.

What Hobbes was Doing at the Time: Hobbes came from a wealthy family and he lived off of his estate, therefore he never needed to work. He spent his time studying the works of different philosophers throughout history. Because of social position and his status within the society, he was able to develop his own ideas and have them heard by other powerful people. Also because he was a man, he was taken seriously. Living in a time of civil war, Hobbes saw the ‘bad’ side of people and this led him to be very pessimistic about the human condition.

Hobbes lived in a time of Civil War. Thomas Hobbes lived during some of the most tumultuous times in European history. So it should be no surprise that his theories were very pessimistic regarding human nature. "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." (Hobbes: Leviathan, Chp. 12)

The Political System of Hobbes’ Time In the 1600’s, there was often conflict in England. From 1642 to 1648, there was a Civil War that led to the execution of King Charles. A week later, the monarchy was abolished. A republic called the Commonwealth of England was established. Hobbes did not agree with this form of government and wrote Leviathan in 1650 to express his views on the subject. He wanted to restore the monarchy.

Hobbes lived in the time when Galileo was a prominent figure in the philosophical community. In 1636, Thomas Hobbes met Galileo. Hobbes was interested in his reverse vision of dynamics. Galileo claimed that the natural state of objects was one of motion. Things always move unless something stops them. Hobbes tried to apply this idea to a social philosophy with three parts: 1. Of Body, he would relate the general laws of motion 2. Of Man, he would show how humans can be considered bodies in motion and how they are impacted by external motions and motivations 3. Of the Citizen, he would give the results of these dynamic human interactions on the commonwealth.

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