THOMAS HOBBES

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher considered one of the founders of

modern political philosophy. His best known work is Leviathan (1651), where he
laid the foundations of the contractual theory, which was highly influential in the
development of Western political philosophy. In addition to the philosophical
field, he worked in other fields of knowledge such as history, ethics, theology,
geometry or physics.
In addition to being considered the theorist par excellence of political
absolutism, his thinking includes fundamental concepts of liberalism, such as
the right of the individual, the natural equality of people, the conventional
character of the State, the representative and popular legitimacy of political
power, etc. His conception of the human being as equally dependent on the
laws of matter and motion continues to enjoy great influence, as does the notion
of human cooperation based on personal interest.
Thomas Hobbes has been considered throughout the history of thought as a
dark person. In fact, in 1666, in England his books were burned after being
branded an atheist. Later, after his death, his works were publicly burned again.
In life, Hobbes had two great enemies with whom he maintained strong
tensions: the Church of England and the University of Oxford. The work of
Hobbes, however, is considered one of the fundamentals in the break with the
line of the Middle Ages and the beginning of Modernity. His descriptions of the
reality of the time are brutal. Later he would say about his birth: "Fear and I
were born twins." The phrase alludes to his mother giving birth prematurely due
to the terror infused by the Spanish Invincible Armada, which was approaching
the British shores.
Hobbes's time is characterized by a great political division that confronted two
well-defined camps:
• Monarchists, who defended absolute monarchy, arguing that its
legitimacy came directly from God.
• Parliamentarians, who affirmed that sovereignty should be shared
between the king and the people.
Hobbes maintained a neutral position between both sides, since, although he
affirmed the sovereignty of the king, he also affirmed that his power did not
come from God.
Leviathan
The matter, form and power of an ecclesiastical and civil state, or
commonly called Leviathan, is his best known book. Published in 1651, its title
refers to the biblical monster Leviathan, of enormous power "No one is so
daring to wake him up ... The strong are afraid of his greatness ... There is no
one on Earth who resembles him, an animal made exempt of fear. He despises
every high thing; he is king over all the proud." Hobbes's work, markedly
materialistic, can be understood as a justification of the absolute State, as well
as the theoretical proposition of the social contract, and establishes a doctrine
of modern law as the basis of societies and legitimate governments.