C.K. Brooks (Author of A Captive's Portion)

C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, ...more
Oct 09, 2025 07:13PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
C.K. Brooks made a comment on Autumn Scott’s status in In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton " I need to get some Chesterton on my reading list! "
Oct 09, 2025 07:04PM
C.K. Brooks made a comment on Will Brooks’s review of Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World) (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) " Only a school book can get one-star, otherwise you wouldn't have finished it ;) ...more "
Oct 09, 2025 07:04PM · see review
C.K. Brooks made a comment on Autumn Scott’s status in American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church " You've had a rough time of it! You've had a rough time of it! ...more "
Oct 09, 2025 07:03PM
C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, ...more
Oct 09, 2025 05:43PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
C.K. Brooks liked Michael Brooks's status update Michael Brooks is on page 70 of 464 of Crusaders
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C.K. Brooks and 2 other people liked Will Brooks's review of Saint Augustine Confessions:
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C.K. Brooks and 1 other person liked Leah's status update Leah is on page 51 of 152 of The Savage My Kinsman
Oct 01, 2025 06:35PM
C.K. Brooks rated a book it was amazing Fate of the Jedi: Abyss (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, #3) by Troy Denning (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Thus far, this is the best of the series. Taking the foundation of the previous books, the payoff for what has been teased arrives. New storylines are expanded, the Jedi are emphasized and focused upon, and the writing is improved. The voice is bette ...more
Oct 01, 2025 06:16PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fate of the Jedi by Troy Denning. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fate of the Jedi by Troy Denning <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it Fate of the Jedi: Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, #2) by Christie Golden	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My review of this novel is much the same as the last one, and so I won't bother to put it in full here, but I will summarize the main points of my thoughts that differentiate this from the last: This is a worthy follow-up to the first novel and an imp ...more
Sep 29, 2025 06:14PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fate of the Jedi by Christie Golden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fate of the Jedi by Christie Golden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it

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Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, drawn from Job, give us an important view on the exact nature of Hobbes’ theory. They read as such: “If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” What, then is this Leviathan? For Hobbes, this terrifying, irresistible power, this hand of God upon the working of the earth is the commonwealth, that sovereign institution of government, instituted by God and, according to Hobbes, the highest revelation of the will of God.

The Leviathan argues for the absolute sovereignty of the state, placing beneath it revelation, yet paradoxically arguing from that revelation, subordinating even the words of Christ under the sovereign as God’s lieutenant. Hobbes begins this discourse by laying a mechanistic and material universe. In Hobbes view, God is discrete material (incorporeal bodies are oxymoronic), moral law arises from natural reason (the foundation for peace as the highest good), seeking peace is the highest good (and conversely violence is the highest evil), and the state has absolute sovereignty directly from God (to, apparently, maintain peace).

Hobbes, in all of his careful efforts to systematically devise every possible way to solve the issue of the commands of God against the commands of the sovereign state, fails to avoid making several arbitrary statements about what constitutes truth. Prodigiously, he describes the nature of the Bible as a document that creates sedition and confusion, and therefore, private interpretations of it that counteract the mandate of the sovereign are thusly immoral. He lays as a foundation for salvation the statement, “You are the Christ, the Son of God” (from Peter), yet he states that the Bible itself is unreliable in its totality (excepting, of course, for this statement). Hobbes, in critiquing the two-masters issues of his time, religion and government, unwittingly becomes a slave to synthesizing two masters, the spiritual and the political, governmental and religion. The whole work seeks to reconcile these two fundamental differences which result in, according to Hobbes, violence, a return to his famed statement that man, in their natural state, exists in a state of perpetual warfare of all-against-all. Without government, there is violence… but also… with government there is violence?

Well, not in an ideal world, the likes of which Hobbes spends much of his time fantasizing about, but the great failure of Leviathan is in the nearsightedness of its presuppositions. He, like all of us, are a product of our times, and perhaps never have I finished studying a work and coming to the conclusion that history is absolutely essential to human advancement than I am now, because if Hobbes lived through the 20th century, he might not have so rigorously argued for an absolute, unchecked, and morally justified absolute sovereign who is morally imperfect yet is also totally morally justified. Hobbes’ Leviathan is indeed terrifying because it places the power of God into the hands of man. Forget Prometheus, Hobbes would be the first to give man the power of the gods. In the view of Hobbes’, Pol Pot would be morally justified in his regime, but even worse, the citizenry would be morally required to submit to that said regime, all in the name of what? Safety and an effort to avoid violence, believe it or not. (Mind you, he divorces these ideas from Christian hope and the eternal, so that is off the table)

Much like Das Kapital, time has demonstrated that political and economic theory continues to move forward, these old works remaining thoroughly antiquated upon reading them within a modern context.

Hobbes, living through the civil wars of 17th century England, was a product of his time and dealt with the issues of his time. I think of the immortal words of J.R.R Tolkien, “’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’” Hobbes lived in view of the issues and violence of his time, one propagated in part by the religious issues of his time, and so he reacted to it in the way Anakin would: “I don’t think the system works.”

That, however, does not mean they are without value. Hobbes makes important distinctions about the nature of man and the impossibility of self-governance due to man’s self-interest (as due to sin). Hobbes stands upon giants, and giants stand upon him, both in the positive and in the negative. John Locke reacted strongly against Hobbes, and in turn, much of what makes up the U.S. Constitution exists in part due to the theorizing of Hobbes.

Hobbes also emphasizes the potential benefits of a strong, centralized regime. The lack of power of weaker governments can produce great violence and anarchy, perhaps an issue remedied by a stronger government, yet, that same government is imperfect, flawed, and human. Churchill recognized the inherent issue of government when he says, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.” Churchill himself dealt with the weaknesses of a decentralized government where he fought tirelessly to defeat the Nazi’s even as characters like Neville Chamberlain tried to maintain an even more costly peace. Plato also critiqued democracy, citing that demagogues with only an aptitude for winning elections would come to dominate the political scene (sound familiar?). The overwhelming conclusion is that there are practical issues that perhaps cannot be solved.

What exactly would Hobbes have to say about such a practical issue? Based upon the Leviathan, whatever the sovereign, headed by people, does is good even as Hobbes agrees in the other direction that human nature leads mankind to a state of perpetual war of all-against-all. He’d probably say that the sovereign is maintaining peace, even if that peace is terrifying.

It makes me think of Joker’s philosophically intriguing description of plans: “Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan.’ Even if the plan is horrifying!” Is Hobbes’ plan horrifying? Absolutely. Dependence upon people (and by extension government) for peace and prosperity is a foolish endeavor, for power corrupts. That same film, The Dark Knight spotlights this idea. Harvey Dent tells us that in times of emergency, a ruler should be appointed (such as Julius Caesar in his ascension to rulership), highlighting the need for power in times of drastic action, yet the counterargument is made that he never gave up that power, and so, he says, “You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Government is not a proper integration point for moral law, and it isn’t even a proper integration point for true peace and prosperity, that can only come through something greater than ourselves, the critical error that Hobbes misses in his dialectic.

People are insufficient to solve the problems of sin, and all have fallen.

Quite simply, we need Jesus because Hobbes got at least this much right, that man is in a state of perpetual warfare, and if Hobbes unwittingly tells us that, I consider it a win.

Read history everybody, or we’ll make the same mistakes that Hobbes failed to see here. ...more

C.K. Brooks made a comment on Autumn Scott’s status in In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton

" I need to get some Chesterton on my reading list! "

C.K. Brooks made a comment on Will Brooks’s review of Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World) (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

Where Research Begins by Thomas S. Mullaney

" Only a school book can get one-star, otherwise you wouldn't have finished it ;) ...more "

C.K. Brooks made a comment on Autumn Scott’s status in American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church

American Idolatry by Andrew L. Whitehead

" You've had a rough time of it! ...more "

C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it

Leviathan
by Thomas Hobbes

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, Calvin and Hobbes, the popular cartoon characters from the series of the same name, found its heritage in this same Thomas Hobbes, the writer of perhaps one of the most terrifying political theories that I have ever read. Indeed, the name Leviathan, drawn from Job, give us an important view on the exact nature of Hobbes’ theory. They read as such: “If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” What, then is this Leviathan? For Hobbes, this terrifying, irresistible power, this hand of God upon the working of the earth is the commonwealth, that sovereign institution of government, instituted by God and, according to Hobbes, the highest revelation of the will of God.

The Leviathan argues for the absolute sovereignty of the state, placing beneath it revelation, yet paradoxically arguing from that revelation, subordinating even the words of Christ under the sovereign as God’s lieutenant. Hobbes begins this discourse by laying a mechanistic and material universe. In Hobbes view, God is discrete material (incorporeal bodies are oxymoronic), moral law arises from natural reason (the foundation for peace as the highest good), seeking peace is the highest good (and conversely violence is the highest evil), and the state has absolute sovereignty directly from God (to, apparently, maintain peace).

Hobbes, in all of his careful efforts to systematically devise every possible way to solve the issue of the commands of God against the commands of the sovereign state, fails to avoid making several arbitrary statements about what constitutes truth. Prodigiously, he describes the nature of the Bible as a document that creates sedition and confusion, and therefore, private interpretations of it that counteract the mandate of the sovereign are thusly immoral. He lays as a foundation for salvation the statement, “You are the Christ, the Son of God” (from Peter), yet he states that the Bible itself is unreliable in its totality (excepting, of course, for this statement). Hobbes, in critiquing the two-masters issues of his time, religion and government, unwittingly becomes a slave to synthesizing two masters, the spiritual and the political, governmental and religion. The whole work seeks to reconcile these two fundamental differences which result in, according to Hobbes, violence, a return to his famed statement that man, in their natural state, exists in a state of perpetual warfare of all-against-all. Without government, there is violence… but also… with government there is violence?

Well, not in an ideal world, the likes of which Hobbes spends much of his time fantasizing about, but the great failure of Leviathan is in the nearsightedness of its presuppositions. He, like all of us, are a product of our times, and perhaps never have I finished studying a work and coming to the conclusion that history is absolutely essential to human advancement than I am now, because if Hobbes lived through the 20th century, he might not have so rigorously argued for an absolute, unchecked, and morally justified absolute sovereign who is morally imperfect yet is also totally morally justified. Hobbes’ Leviathan is indeed terrifying because it places the power of God into the hands of man. Forget Prometheus, Hobbes would be the first to give man the power of the gods. In the view of Hobbes’, Pol Pot would be morally justified in his regime, but even worse, the citizenry would be morally required to submit to that said regime, all in the name of what? Safety and an effort to avoid violence, believe it or not. (Mind you, he divorces these ideas from Christian hope and the eternal, so that is off the table)

Much like Das Kapital, time has demonstrated that political and economic theory continues to move forward, these old works remaining thoroughly antiquated upon reading them within a modern context.

Hobbes, living through the civil wars of 17th century England, was a product of his time and dealt with the issues of his time. I think of the immortal words of J.R.R Tolkien, “’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’” Hobbes lived in view of the issues and violence of his time, one propagated in part by the religious issues of his time, and so he reacted to it in the way Anakin would: “I don’t think the system works.”

That, however, does not mean they are without value. Hobbes makes important distinctions about the nature of man and the impossibility of self-governance due to man’s self-interest (as due to sin). Hobbes stands upon giants, and giants stand upon him, both in the positive and in the negative. John Locke reacted strongly against Hobbes, and in turn, much of what makes up the U.S. Constitution exists in part due to the theorizing of Hobbes.

Hobbes also emphasizes the potential benefits of a strong, centralized regime. The lack of power of weaker governments can produce great violence and anarchy, perhaps an issue remedied by a stronger government, yet, that same government is imperfect, flawed, and human. Churchill recognized the inherent issue of government when he says, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.” Churchill himself dealt with the weaknesses of a decentralized government where he fought tirelessly to defeat the Nazi’s even as characters like Neville Chamberlain tried to maintain an even more costly peace. Plato also critiqued democracy, citing that demagogues with only an aptitude for winning elections would come to dominate the political scene (sound familiar?). The overwhelming conclusion is that there are practical issues that perhaps cannot be solved.

What exactly would Hobbes have to say about such a practical issue? Based upon the Leviathan, whatever the sovereign, headed by people, does is good even as Hobbes agrees in the other direction that human nature leads mankind to a state of perpetual war of all-against-all. He’d probably say that the sovereign is maintaining peace, even if that peace is terrifying.

It makes me think of Joker’s philosophically intriguing description of plans: “Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan.’ Even if the plan is horrifying!” Is Hobbes’ plan horrifying? Absolutely. Dependence upon people (and by extension government) for peace and prosperity is a foolish endeavor, for power corrupts. That same film, The Dark Knight spotlights this idea. Harvey Dent tells us that in times of emergency, a ruler should be appointed (such as Julius Caesar in his ascension to rulership), highlighting the need for power in times of drastic action, yet the counterargument is made that he never gave up that power, and so, he says, “You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Government is not a proper integration point for moral law, and it isn’t even a proper integration point for true peace and prosperity, that can only come through something greater than ourselves, the critical error that Hobbes misses in his dialectic.

People are insufficient to solve the problems of sin, and all have fallen.

Quite simply, we need Jesus because Hobbes got at least this much right, that man is in a state of perpetual warfare, and if Hobbes unwittingly tells us that, I consider it a win.

Read history everybody, or we’ll make the same mistakes that Hobbes failed to see here. ...more

C.K. Brooks liked Michael Brooks's status update

Michael Brooks is on page 70 of 464 of Crusaders

C.K. Brooks and 2 other people liked Will Brooks's review of Saint Augustine Confessions:

Saint Augustine Confessions by Augustine of Hippo

C.K. Brooks and 1 other person liked Leah's status update

Leah is on page 51 of 152 of The Savage My Kinsman

C.K. Brooks rated a book it was amazing

Fate of the Jedi: Abyss (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, #3)
by Troy Denning (Goodreads Author)

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Thus far, this is the best of the series. Taking the foundation of the previous books, the payoff for what has been teased arrives. New storylines are expanded, the Jedi are emphasized and focused upon, and the writing is improved. The voice is bette ...more

C.K. Brooks rated a book really liked it

Fate of the Jedi: Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, #2)
by Christie Golden

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

My review of this novel is much the same as the last one, and so I won't bother to put it in full here, but I will summarize the main points of my thoughts that differentiate this from the last:

This is a worthy follow-up to the first novel and an imp ...more

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