Thomas Hobbes

Q: What is Thomas Hobbes best known for?

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher known for his work Leviathan where he presents a negative view of human nature and calls for a strong government system based on an all-powerful monarchy.

Q: What were Thomas Hobbes main ideas?

Thomas Hobbes' main ideas include: people act out of self-interest, they consequently form a social contract (society) to protect themselves, and a strong monarchy is required to protect the people and prevent civil war.

Q: Why was Thomas Hobbes important to the Enlightenment?

Thomas Hobbes was important in the Enlightenment because he was one of the first thinkers to remove the Church from state affairs. His idea of a social contract between citizens to form a society was extended by other thinkers to a contract between citizens and their government.

Mark Cartwright

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Definition

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher who famously summarised his pessimistic view of human nature in his greatest work, Leviathan, published in 1651. Hobbes believed that the life of humanity in the state of nature is short and brutish, a situation that can be mitigated by people coming together and handing over some of their liberty to a strong political authority, which will act in their best interests.

More about: Thomas Hobbes

Timeline

1588 - 1679
Life of the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes.
5 Apr 1588
Thomas Hobbes is born in Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England.
5 Apr 1588
English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes is born, best known for his 1651 work, *Leviathan*, arguing for the social contract theory in which he maintains that citizens must surrender certain rights in exchange for the benefits of living under a strong central government. He is often referenced for his line that the life of man is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.".
1602 - 1608
Thomas Hobbes studies at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford.
1608
Thomas Hobbes begins to work as a secretary for the statesman William Cavendish.
1646 - 1649
Thomas Hobbes tutors the future Charles II of England.
1650
Thomas Hobbes publishes his Elements of Law.
1650
Thomas Hobbes publishes his Human Nature.
1651
Thomas Hobbes publishes his Leviathan.
4 Dec 1679
Thomas Hobbes dies near Hardwicke in Derbyshire, England.