Thomas Hobbes was born in April 1588 in Westport, Wiltshire, England. He would go on to attend Oxford University and become one of the most influential political philosophers in history.
Hobbes’ father was a clergyman who died when he was ten years old. After his father’s death, Hobbes’ mother moved back to live with her family in London. There, she was able to send Thomas Hobbes to school at St. Paul’s Cathedral where he learned Latin and Greek as well as mathematics and science.
In 1608, Hobbes went on to attend Magdalen College at Oxford University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1608, master’s degree in 1612 and doctorate in civil law in 1614. After graduating from Oxford University with his doctorate degree in civil law, Hobbes became an assistant professor of moral philosophy at Oxford until 1640 when he left England due to religious persecution and returned to France where he worked as an advisor for Cardinal Richelieu until 1647 when he returned to England again due to another round of religious persecution against atheists during the English Civil War (1642-1651).
In 1651, Hobbes published Leviathan which contained many ideas that would later influence other philosophers like John Locke and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, it was considered so revolutionary that it would not be reprinted again until 1818 because its ideas were considered dangerous by religious authorities who feared their spread among the public might lead to atheism or even revolution against established governments.
