Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Leviathan - cover

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

Publisher: arslan

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil—commonly referred to as Leviathan—is a book written by Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and published in 1651 (revised Latin edition 1668). Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan. The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory. Leviathan ranks as a classic western work on statecraft comparable to Machiavelli's The Prince. Written during the English Civil War (1642–1651), Leviathan argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ("the war of all against all") could only be avoided by strong undivided government.

After lengthy discussion with Hobbes, the Parisian Abraham Bosse created the etching for the book's famous frontispiece in the géometrique style which Bosse himself had refined. It is similar in organisation to the frontispiece of Hobbes' De Cive (1642), created by Jean Matheus. The frontispiece has two main elements, of which the upper part is by far the more striking.
Available since: 02/21/2019.

Other books that might interest you

  • Lobbying Uncovered? - Lobbying Registration in the European Union and the United States - cover

    Lobbying Uncovered? - Lobbying...

    Lisa Moessing

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    "While the book's description of the U.S.' and the EU's registration systems is both extensive and in-depth, it covers all the essential literature, even the most recent ones."-Rinus van Schendelen, Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Show book
  • A Time for Action - Empowering the Faithful to Reclaim America - cover

    A Time for Action - Empowering...

    Rafael Cruz

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In A Time for Action, Rafael Cruz presents a simple underlying message: For Christians, Jesus Christ should be the foundation of the lives they build, and they should be active in making a difference in the world around them. In practical terms, that means that we should strive for a free society that respects each of God's children; we should embrace the Judeo-Christian values of love, joy, and peace; and we should seek a relationship with the living God. It means that people of faith should actively participate in the political process in order to combat the debilitating and deceptive progressive mantra that there should be a separation of church and state. A Time for Action is the story of one man's quest for refuge from Cuban persecution to realizing the American dream. It is the story of this great nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and why it has fallen from grace. It is a wake-up call to the faithful across the land to step up to the challenge of entering the public arena and taking on the forces at work to destroy the guiding principles that made this country great.
    Show book
  • To Catch a Dictator - The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré - cover

    To Catch a Dictator - The...

    Reed Brody

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    What does it take to make a dictator answer for his crimes? Hissène Habré, the former despot of Chad, terrorized, tortured, and killed on a horrific scale over eight years in power—while enjoying full American and Western support. After Habré’s overthrow, his victims and their supporters were determined to see him held responsible for his atrocities. Their quest for justice would be long, tense, and unnerving, but they would not back down.To Catch a Dictator is an insider's account of the hunt for Habré and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims worked across three continents to unearth evidence and witnesses, petition courts and skeptical governments, and rally public opinion. They faced many obstacles and constant threats. Habré fought back bitterly, drawing on secret bank accounts and extensive political connections to preserve his life of luxurious exile. Yet Brody and his allies ultimately triumphed: Habré became the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity in the courts of another country. This fast-paced, suspenseful book shows that there is nothing inevitable about the impunity that too often protects the powerful and that even the worst tyrants can be brought to justice.
    Show book
  • Just Call Me Mike - A Journey to Actor and Activist - cover

    Just Call Me Mike - A Journey to...

    Mike Farrell

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Los Angeles Times bestseller: A memoir by the M*A*S*H actor revealing his hardscrabble childhood, his life in Hollywood, and his passion for human rights.   Best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and his five seasons on Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director, and producer—and a fiercely dedicated activist who has served on human rights and peace delegations to countries around the world as well as working tirelessly on the issue of the death penalty. In Just Call Me Mike, he not only tells his story but reveals the candidness and decency that has endeared him not only to his fans but to commentators across the political divide.   “In this honest autobiography, Farrell, who played B.J. Hunnicutt in the TV series M*A*S*H, provides intimate accounts of growing up working-class in the shadows of wealthy Hollywood, overcoming personal demons as he starts his acting career and finding happiness in the popular sitcom and what he describes as a supportive and cohesive cast and crew. Throughout the series, Farrell also began to pursue an interest in politics and human rights that took him to Cambodia, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, and his passionate descriptions of the human rights abuses in those countries show why Farrell currently is considered one of Hollywood’s most prominent activists.” —Publishers Weekly   “A stand-up guy . . . His book, Just Call Me Mike, will entertain and inform you far beyond most autobiographies. Farrell’s life is fascinating and his journey is well worth your time.” —Bill O’Reilly   “He describes the fantastic, sometimes painful, and ultimately redeeming journey that his conscience has led him on . . . Disarmingly honest.” —Kamala Harris   “Farrell doesn’t hesitate to put himself on the line, whether writing about his troubled past, the behind-the-scenes conflicts on the M*A*S*H set, or his human rights activism.” —The Sacramento Bee
    Show book
  • Compassion (&) Conviction - The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement - cover

    Compassion (&) Conviction - The...

    Justin Giboney, Michael Wear,...

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Christian Book Award® program
    Outreach Resource of the Year
    Have you ever felt too progressive for conservatives, but too conservative for progressives?
    Too often, political questions are framed in impossible ways for the faithful Christian: we're forced to choose between social justice and biblical values, between supporting women and opposing abortion. As a result, it's easy for Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall back into tribal extremes. This state of affairs has damaged Christian public witness and divided the church.
    The authors of this book represent the AND Campaign, which exists to educate and organize Christians for faithful civic and cultural engagement. They insist that not only are we called to love our neighbors through the political process but also that doing so requires us to transcend the binary way the debates are usually framed. In simple, understandable language, they lay out the biblical case for political engagement and help Christians navigate the complex world of politics with integrity, from political messaging and the politics of race to protests, advocacy, and more. The book includes a study guide for classroom use and group discussion.
    When we understand our civic engagement as a way to obey Christ's call to love our neighbor, we see that it is possible to engage the political process with both love and truth—compassion and conviction.
    Show book
  • Knowing the Enemy - Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror - cover

    Knowing the Enemy - Jihadist...

    Mary Habeck

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    After September 11, Americans agonized over why nineteen men hated the United States enough to kill three thousand civilians in an unprovoked assault. Analysts have offered a wide variety of explanations for the attack, but the one voice missing is that of the terrorists themselves. This penetrating book is the first to present the inner logic of al-Qaeda and like-minded extremist groups by which they justify September 11 and other terrorist attacks.Mary Habeck explains that these extremist groups belong to a new movement-known as jihadism-with a specific ideology based on the thought of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Hasan al-Banna, and Sayyid Qutb. Jihadist ideology contains new definitions of the unity of God and of jihad, which allow members to call for the destruction of democracy and the United States and to murder innocent men, women, and children. Habeck also suggests how the United States might defeat the jihadis, using their own ideology against them.
    Show book