Leviathan (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Thomas Hobbes
- First Published: 1651
- Type of Work: Politics
- Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics
- Subjects: Justice, Philosophy or philosophers, Law or legislation, Christianity, Aristocracy or aristocrats, Democracy, Heads of state, Monarchy
Critical Evaluation:
In considering the “matter, form, and power” of the commonwealth, or state, Thomas Hobbes does far more than describe governments as he finds them. His goal is to explain the origin of political institutions and to define their powers and right limits. To this end he draws an analogy between the art of nature, which produces humanity, and the art of humanity, productive of the commonwealth. In drawing the analogy he first explains humanity, giving to the description a thoroughly mechanistic bias. He then proceeds to explain the state as humanity’s...
[The entire page is 2191 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
