Thomas Hobbes(1588 — 1679)

A major work of political philosophy in which Hobbes develops his theory of the social contract and argues for the absolute authority of the state as a necessary escape from the chaotic state of nature. It is a foundational text of modern political philosophy.

A political philosophy treatise written in Latin that sets out the principles of civil government, prefiguring the ideas later developed in Leviathan. It represents the first systematic formulation of his political theory.

A work of natural philosophy and logic in which Hobbes develops his materialist conception of the universe and lays the foundations of his scientific and philosophical thought.

A philosophical treatise in which Hobbes analyses human nature, the passions, and the motivations of men, forming a key element of his theoretical construction of the social contract.

One of his earliest political texts, written during the English Civil War, setting out the fundamental principles of his philosophical and political system.

A scientific work in which Hobbes critiques experiments on the vacuum and defends a materialist conception of physics against the new theories of his era.

During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.

Philosophy is the knowledge acquired by reasoning, from the generation or construction of things.

The state of nature, that is to say, the condition of men without a common power to restrain them, is a state of war of all against all.

The history of the causes of the English Civil War, and of the troubles that followed, until the Restoration of His Majesty Charles the Second.

I rejoice at having the opportunity to discuss with a man whose judgment in matters of philosophy is so widely recognized.

Birthplace of Thomas Hobbes on 5 April 1588. This small town in Shropshire, England, marks the origins of the great political philosopher.

Hobbes studied at Magdalen Hall from 1603. The university shaped his thinking and gave him a solid grounding in classical and humanist culture.

The heart of English intellectual and political life, where Hobbes spent much of his career. It was in London that he wrote his major works and took part in the philosophical debates of the 17th century.

Hobbes went into exile in France between 1640 and 1651, a period during which he moved in Parisian intellectual circles and wrote Leviathan, his masterpiece of political philosophy.

The estate where Hobbes worked as tutor and secretary to the Cavendish family. This aristocratic setting provided him with protection and resources to pursue his philosophical research.

Another major residence of the Cavendish family where Hobbes stayed regularly. It was in this prestigious setting that he developed and refined his political and philosophical thought.