Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who lived from 1588 to 1679. He is famous for his work in political philosophy and his 1651 book “Leviathan.”
Philosopher was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. He was raised by his uncle and aunt after his mother died giving birth to him. Hobbes was an excellent student and went on to study at Oxford University for a few years.
Hobbes became interested in politics early on in life and wrote several books related to the subject. The most famous of these works is “Leviathan,” which describes how a government should operate. Hobbes believed that governments were necessary because they prevented chaos and war among citizens. He argued that the only way to create lasting peace was for people to give up some of their freedoms in exchange for living under an absolute ruler who had total control over the people he ruled over.
A major influence on Hobbes’ political philosophy was Thomas Aquinas, who argued that humans needed religion in order to live moral lives; however, Hobbes disagreed with this view because he believed that religion could not be proven through reason or science.
Actually, Hobbes’ writings influenced many other philosophers such as Thomas Jefferson and John Locke who both studied his work at Oxford University where he taught for many years before retiring to London where he spent most of his life writing about science and politics until his death at the age of 91.
