Leviathan Paperback – April 9, 2017

Hobbes' thesis that the natural state of man is chaos and war is the primary justification he provides for an all encompassing authority to be placed unalterably in the hands of the Sovereign, or Leviathan. What he neglects to address is the absolutely corrupting influence such power has on the all too human Kings, Queens, and legislative bodies which hold such power over their fellow creatures.There is a saying that if men were were angels we would not need government, or if that angels administered man's government then we would not need to worry as to constraining them. But neither of these delusions can be ever be achieved by fallible man, no matter how much certain individuals may otherwise hope. You cannot legislate morality and you cannot make men charitable by forcing them to give. And much to the annoyance of Plato, no amount of education or cultural refinement can immunize man to the ever present threats of avarice, arrogance, and blind ambition. There must be checks on this power if men are to retain their hard-fought liberty and if the ultimate power of the government is to maintain its rightful abode with the People.As we in America have learned, there is a concept of government much more attuned to the particulars of human nature than the false bravado of Leviathan. It is limited government, where every individual choose for himself what he thinks is best, to the degree that he does not infringe on the natural rights of his fellows. Freedom of oppression from the government is our nation's calling card, and it has empowered and enriched man to a degree never before imagined. It seems that man's natural state, when guaranteed certain inalienable rights, was far flung indeed from an interminable warfare on his neighbors.So, Hobbes had a lot to learn but perhaps not the opportunity to do so. However, I did enjoy and learn much from him in his thorough and unbiased defense of his monarchical position using the Scriptures. He has an immense mastery of them, and cuts through some of the more confusing points of contention between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. He even goes so far as to address the varying degrees of heaven, the existence (or not) of an everlasting Hell, and Baptism for the Dead. It provided me with an excellent base from which to further understand the faith of the early American colonists and the churches they established in the lead-up to the American Revolution.Still, this is one of the more difficult books on this subject I've yet to slog through and so be warned that you may want to start with some lighter tomes on this subject.

A handful of pebblesActually not just a handful, but a whole courtyard, making it difficult to run around. Even if difficult, I do not regret having read this book with a unique title Leviathan. I have the feeling that I have always since my young schoolboy times been aware of this strange book and book title. What does it really mean? Something that does not exist? Something like Utopia? Yes, really, Utopka of just Thomas Hobbes. A thoroughly, in detail described society of ordinary men and women from Shakespeare era. Not only the life, habits and environment, but also the language of the book. Just as strange orthography and word order, difficult to understand as in Shakespeare plays. And in similar manner also true! Reading this book is really an exercise of abbrakadabbra. How could one stand it all 600 pages? The answer is: with a stubborn attitude and modest expectations of outcome. But that is not all. There is an unexpected helping feature in the text itself, a very comprehensive net of subtitles all over the whole book. Many writers would gain much following the exemple of Hobbes. The frequent subtitles correct and make good what the pebble form text leaves confused. At first occasionally, but soon systemathically, I made my notes of the whole book by copying the descriptive subtitles. They are so descriptive that sometimes I doubted, whether they were originally included by Hobbes himself or introduced later by some heureka experiencing reader. Their peculiar form hints more to the original author or at least to a contemporary helper: "Eternall Torments what" or "Angel what" or "Inspiration what". My main purpse of reading is learning more than just entertaining. For learning all headings and summaries are important aids. No harm of them in entertaining, either.With all respect to the renowned author, I cannot from my point of view give more than three stars to Leviathan.

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is a good collection of essays on subjects like matter, form and the power of a commonwealth. Hobbes describes sovereignty as the artificial soul with joints and members who do the duty of nerves as in the human body. Sense deals with the origin of thought; whereby, the external body is causative to the senses. Schopenhauer believed that the will and the physical body were conjoined. In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant clarified the notion of knowledge: "In whatever mode, or by whatsoever means, our Knowledge may relate to objects it is at least quite clear, that the manner in which it immediately relates to them is by means of an intuition."Hobbes explains that much of memory is demonstrated in the experiential domain, although imagination is specific to human beings. The art of speech transfers mental discourse. Hobbes describes the bees and ants as coexisting in a society devoid of coercion. On the other hand, man is in continual competition for honor and dignity. Hobbes explains that the commonwealth acts in order to secure peace and common agreements between and among the members.Overall, Leviathan is a helpful resource for philosophers, historians and all arts and science enthusiasts. The author clarifies subjects like the memory, the human body, experience and relations between people and nations.

Hobbes is certainly a 'Yay' - however a summary would be better suited to all. 10% of this book holds value, however this is certainly undermined by the arduous task of sifting through the other 90%. I can't recommend this book to anyone, especially if you're just like me, and feel inclined to always finish what you start.

Leviathan: Or, the Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiastical and Civil - a classic!

No serious student of political philosophy can ignore this book. Hobbes ranks alongside Rousseau, Mill and Machiavelli as one of the true greats. It's.not an easy read but worth the effort.

i needed this book for uni...what more can i say? this version was free and also the best translated of the other options. Great book and even better that it is free.

It s good but difficult book to read!