A summary of Hobbes' Leviathan will help you to know in detail what the author wanted to say in his work. This is the famous work of the English philosopher, which he wrote in the 17th century and was first published in 1651. It is mainly devoted to the problems of the state.
Who is Leviathan
Before you find out the summary of Hobbes' Leviathan, it’s worth figuring out who this character is, who served as the title of the treatise of the British philosopher.
That was the name of the famous biblical monster, which was portrayed as a force of nature, capable of belittling man and his significance in the world around him. Hobbes used this symbolic image to describe the strength and power of the state machine.
Developing his theory of the emergence and origin of the state, the philosopher was based on the postulate of the natural state of people, which reads: "The war of all against all." At the same time, Hobbes developed the idea that each person is a wolf to another.
English philosopher
Hobbes himself was born in a small place Westport, located in the southern part of England. By 1608, he became a graduate of Oxford University, where he received a brilliant classical education. At the same time, the philosopher enters the service of the Dukes of Devonshire, where he remains for almost 70 years, with the exception of a short break, when he works as secretary for Francis Bacon.
For 25 years, Hobbes sets out on three fairly long journeys, exploring almost the entire continental Europe. He is seriously interested in the so-called natural philosophy, while continuing to engage in politics and ethics. At the end of the 1930s, he wrote a philosophical trilogy, which consists of the books On the Body, On the Man, and On the Citizen.
Refuge in France
In the middle of the XVII century, a hectic political life was boiling in England, the philosopher was forced to seek temporary refuge in France. There he creates an unofficial university, which consists of fans of his ideas.
In 1642 his work “On the Citizen” was published, and in 1651 the most famous book by Thomas Hobbes “Leviathan”, a summary of which is given in this article. In the same year, the philosopher returned to England, where he completed his work under the title "On the Body." In 1658, a treatise entitled "On Man" was published.
Many works of the philosopher are criticized by other scientists, and Hobbes leads disputes with them almost until his death. In 1679, Hobbes dies. By that time, he served with the grandchildren of the first Dukes of Devonshire.
Power theory
The key ideas of Hobbes' writings were an attempt to formulate a general theory of power; he generally became the first significant philosopher of the New Age, who was deeply interested in politics.
It is interesting that he published almost all of his works without adhering to a logical order, and at the same time they represented the components of the general idea, which was carefully and scrupulously thought out as early as 1630. Almost all the works of the philosopher can be put into a single common system in which each of them occupies a strictly defined place.
Through all his works passes the theme of the theory of power. He considers this problem from different angles: anthropology, physics, and, of course, politics.
Definition of power
In discussing power in Leviathan, Hobbes uses two concepts in parallel. It is noteworthy that he uses the Latin terms potentia and potestas. There is a definite difference between them. The first implies power as an effective way to influence others and at the same time be exposed to it. It is noted that power can manifest itself in action, when the result depends solely on what is happening around.
The term potestas implies that power submits exclusively to the law, that is, we are talking about political influence, which is created artificially.
Interestingly, for Hobbes, power itself, as a concept, is defined simultaneously as an object, source and goal of knowledge.
But the philosopher considers the science of power to be the science of man, contrasting it with the science of God. One of the postulates of the British scientist is that a science devoted to power can be created only by immersing oneself in human society. On this basis it is supposed to build any political anthropology that can unite all areas of science, mainly studying man.
Treatise structure
Hobbes' Leviathan, a summary of which is given in this article, is a very voluminous and impressive work. For example, in a publication in French, which was very popular in Europe, it occupies 780 pages.
The structure of the book by Thomas Hobbes "Leviathan" is divided into four parts, which were issued as a single publication, or separately from one another. They were called "On the state," "On man," "The kingdom of darkness" and "On the Christian state."
"About a human"
The first part of Hobbes' Leviathan, a brief summary of which will help you quickly prepare for the exam or standings, is called "About the Man." The author begins his philosophical treatise with a study of sensations. He describes them from a physiological and physical point of view, and then pays attention to mental aspects.
According to him, an external object causes movement in the senses, which is directly transmitted to the brain and heart. This happens, as a rule, directly through the environment. After that, the movement begins in the opposite direction. It seems to man a certain external reality.
Thomas Hobbes in "Leviathan" (a brief summary of the chapters allows you to navigate this work well) makes an attempt to unite at once three aspects of this issue. This is a subjective confirmation of feelings, a mechanical explanation of the sensation, as well as an explanation of the perception of external reality arising at this moment.
In human consciousness, according to Hobbes, sensation is present in the form of thought, image, and even a ghost. It is noteworthy that the philosopher uses all these terms as synonyms. At the same time, he explains human prudence by the fact of empirical expectation, which is rooted in the mechanism of associations. According to Hobbes, prudence is not like science, which is based on accurate calculation, the use of language exclusively at the level of terms and definitions.
Hobbes believes that science is construction. Geometry is given as an example, claiming that it is true in essence, since researchers build it from a large number of all kinds of parts using predetermined conventions. If it becomes impossible to use the geometric model, science ends.
Passion
At Hobbes in "Leviathan" (a brief summary of the chapters allows you to make a complete impression of the work), a separate chapter is devoted to human passions. The author claims that life, in fact, is a constant movement of the organs of the body, which occurs regardless of the desire of the person himself.
The philosopher contrasts this movement with an arbitrary and even chaotic movement, moving from place to place. In this case, the individual perceives the objects as heart movements that can contribute or, conversely, counteract the movement.
The joy a person experiences is a feeling when the perceived surrounding objects correspond to organic movement. On the contrary, discontent arises when a contradiction arises between the individual elements. Hobbes is confident that in this regard, disgust and attraction are invisible to a person's feelings, which lead to avoidance and possession.
He discusses separately the knowledge of Hobbes in Leviathan - the brief content of the book helps to make a full impression on the main problems that the author touches on. For example, he distinguishes between history, which he considers knowledge of the fact, and philosophy, which is a consistent dependence of one fact on another.
In the next chapter, he goes on to the concept of power. Hobbes divides it into instrumental and natural. Separately, he considers human manners in all their diversity. He demonstrates in man the relentless and incessant desire to acquire as much more power. Only death can end this.
Hobbes finds such an explanation for wars. He claims that when a person becomes king, receives absolute power, he still does not think this is enough, since there is a risk of losing everything. Because of this, the king is constantly trying to increase his possessions, provoking a new war.
Hobbes separately considers the relationship between man and religion. After this, the philosopher proceeds to the questions of natural states, laws of nature, social contracts and agreements. From here he paves a kind of logical bridge to the theme of the second book.
Hobbes claims that people constantly wage war, in a natural state, he admits that a person has the right to take the life of any other individual. According to the philosopher, the most favorable time for concluding such a social contract or agreement comes when reason clearly requires it.
"About the state"
The theory of the state of Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan is set forth in sufficient detail. It is assumed that only on the basis of a social contract can a state appear and social life be organized. The second part of the treatise is entirely devoted to this topic.
The author puts forward the idea that any party starts with democracy, while theoretically assuming that participants who have concluded a social contract can either share power or transfer it to the supreme ruler or sovereign. In his opinion, it is the monarchy that is the most wise form of government. These are the main ideas of Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan.
"On the Christian state"
The penultimate part of the treatise states that clergy must necessarily submit to political power. Hobbes proves this in the texts of the Old and New Testaments.
For example, the philosopher argues that Jesus Christ did not interfere with the creation of the kingdom of God.
"The kingdom of darkness"
The final part of the treatise is the shortest. It begins criticism of the Catholic Church, which, according to Hobbes, has arrogated to itself the exclusive right to intervene in the affairs of earthly governments and states.