Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes

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Résumé :
Leviathan, written by Thomas Hobbes in 1651, is a political treatise that outlines Hobbes' view of society and the role of government. Hobbes believed that humans were naturally selfish and violent, and that life in the state of nature, without any form of government, would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. To avoid this chaos, Hobbes argued that individuals should enter into a social contract with a sovereign authority, giving up some of their natural rights in exchange for protection and security. The sovereign, whether a monarch or a democratically elected government, is granted absolute power to maintain order and prevent conflict. Hobbes' theory of the social contract has been influential in political philosophy, and his views on the nature of humans and the role of government continue to be debated today. He believed that the ultimate goal of government was to ensure peace and stability, and that the sovereign's power should be unlimited to achieve this end. Leviathan also discusses Hobbes' views on religion, and he argued that the state should have control over religious matters to prevent dissent and maintain unity. Overall, Leviathan is a seminal work in political philosophy that has shaped discussions on the nature of government and society for centuries.

Biographie:
Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, is credited with contributing to the development of modern political philosophy. On April 5, 1588, he was born in Westport, Wiltshire, England. He entered the University of Oxford but left before completing his degree due to a lack of finances. His most significant work was Leviathan, which was released in 1651 and included Hobbes' political philosophy. He argued in Leviathan that without a strong central authority to control individuals, life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short since humans are essentially self-interested and competitive. Hobbes believed in a state of nature, and he believed that a strong government with an absolute monarch at the head was the only way to prevent society from degenerating into chaos. The politics of the time, particularly the English Civil War, had a big effect on Hobbes' philosophical outlook. He believed that the only practical way to prevent civil war was to give the monarch all power, including the capacity to tax, create laws, and sustain an army. He also believed that in order for individuals to be protected by the state, they must be prepared to give up some of their inalienable rights. In his day and even now, political scientists and philosophers disagree on Hobbes' beliefs on the nature of governance and the state. He had a significant impact on later political thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.