Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes

by George H. Smith

This presentation explores the social and political turmoil during which Leviathan was written, including an examination of the radical political philosophies spawned by opposition to the Stuart monarchy in England. It explains the materialistic foundation of Hobbes' philosophy and how this influenced his theory of man, society, and government.

Special attention is paid to Hobbes' theory of the "state of nature", the social contract, and the governmental sovereignty. The right of resistance against unjust laws and the right to liberty of conscience also are discussed.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Classics, Nonfiction

Audiobook

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

George Hamilton Smith was an American author, editor, educator, and speaker, known for his writings on atheism and libertarianism.

Reviews

[John Wiswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Smith's review of Hobbes' masterwork is engaging and succinct. It is no replacement for the real Leviathan, but a useful companion, refresher or tool for review. Though twenty years old, the recording is clear and the inflections are pleasant such that I almost listened to all the cassettes in one long sitting. Smith's history is slim, but still provides a little necessary cultural and historic background for Hobbes' life, other works that were linked to Leviathan's conclusions, and events or relationships that impacted his work. There only a couple of points where Smith either praises Hobbes' too much or doesn't seem to try hard enough to understand his logic (at one point he actually gives up and calls Hobbes' views on good in the state of nature "sloppy" and ceases to try to explain it).

[GrosvenorMedia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read (listened) to a book that's not listed on Goodreads. My book is actually "Giants of Political Thought: Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes. There are other books from this series listed on Goodreads, but not Leviathan. Also I wanted to hear Leviathan, but this book was all outside context about Hobbes, history, philosophy... but not the work itself. And by the time I figured that out, it was basically over (a problem unique to the audiobook format, I guess).

Listen, I never said I was a genius. I'm just trying to learn! And I thought this was as good a time to turn to the Enlightenment as any. More to come.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and informative explanation of Thomas Hobbes's philosophy and Leviathan. I had never heard of Leviathan but from NaS's mention of it in the song "It Ain't Hard to Tell," which demonstrates just how intelligent NaS is to have grown up in the projects, dropped out of high school, and still even heard about Leviathan.

My digression about NaS notwithstanding, I enjoyed learning about Hobbesian philosophy, the social contract, and Hobbes's ultimate conclusion through his reasoning that government is the highest form of order.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

The detail that completely flipped my perspective in Leviathan was how much of the "official story" was just rumor that got repeated until it stuck. Thomas Hobbes leaned toward a pretty sympathetic view of its main subject, which you can tell from how the critics get a paragraph while the hero gets a chapter. The pacing dragged a bit in the long stretch on logistics. Solid pick if you like history that doubts its own legend.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm... I knew the word "Hobbesian" meant something ungood, but now I have a better understanding of it. It has a sort of logic to it. The king is always right and is accountable only to God. One might think that kings would have loved Hobbes, but not always. No. He barely escaped with his life.

Hobbesianism remains something "ungood" in my mind.

I might read/listen to the audiobook again.

[Sefa Yılmaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hobbes builds an extraordinary political argument out of fear and insecurity. I admire the conceptual ambition while resisting the leap from the danger of disorder to such concentrated sovereignty. The book is most useful when its assumptions are challenged.

[greta long · Rating 3 out of 5]

He gets too much hate this book was kind of good

[scarlett]

wild

[Pablo Moreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a a foundational text in political philosophy, advocating for a strong state to prevent societal collapse. Hobbes presents his famous social contract theory as a solution to anarchy.

[Mihail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I think about politics and power dynamics. Very dear to me.