Thomas Hobbes

Born in England in 1588, Thomas Hobbes became one of the most influential political philosophers of the seventeenth century. He is most closely associated with Leviathan (1651), the book in which he set out his famous account of the social contract and argued that strong government is necessary to prevent conflict and insecurity.

Hobbes lived through a period of intense political upheaval, including the English Civil War, and that experience deeply informed his view of human nature and political order. Alongside political theory, he also wrote about history, mathematics, and science, building a reputation as a wide-ranging and controversial thinker.

Today, he is often seen as a founder of modern political philosophy. Even centuries later, his questions about authority, liberty, and the price of peace still feel immediate.