A key work by one of the founders of modern political philosophy, Leviathan was written in response to the horrors of the English Civil War in the early 17th century. Thomas Hobbes' four-part philosophy on the benefits of commonwealth under a sovereign head of state was considered subversive and publicly burned on publication. The core argument that a strong government, led by a powerful ruler, is necessary to enforce the rule of law is only part of the sweeping philosophy of natural and political science presented in this work.
The question at the center of the work -- how do we prevent ourselves as a society from descending into anarchy and reverting back to our primitive nature -- has influenced governments around the world.
"For such is the nature of man, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves: For they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance."
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