Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. His 1651 book Leviathan established social contract theory, the foundation of most later Western political philosophy...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth5 April 1588
mind atheism superstitions
Fear of power invisible, feigned by the mind or imagined from tales publicly allowed, is religion; not allowed, superstition.
freedom law libertarian
Unnecessary laws are not good laws, but traps for money.
witty book men
If I read as many books as most men do, I would be as dull-witted as they are.
life philosophical men
The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject, but man only.
hateful obligation
Obligation is thraldom, and thraldom is hateful.
science reality facts
Science is the knowledge of consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another.
world opinion
The world is governed by opinion.
spring men law
All men, among themselves, are by nature equal. The inequality we now discern hath its spring from the civil law.
liberty foolish
There are very few so foolish that they had not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.
ignorance men talking
Opinion of ghosts, ignorance of second causes, devotion to what men fear, and talking of things casual for prognostics, consisteth the natural seeds of religion
horizon dawn spirit
The disembodied spirit is immortal; there is nothing of it that can grow old or die. But the embodied spirit sees death on the horizon as soon as its day dawns.
dream thinking waking
Because waking I often observe the absurdity of dreams, but never dream of the absurdities of my waking thoughts, I am well satisfied that being awake, I know I dream not; though when I dream, I think myself awake.
liberty deceiving states
Subjects have no greater liberty in a popular than in a monarchial state. That which deceives them is the equal participation of command.
party blow judging
And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.