What do you think?
Rate this book
Confronting Leviathan
David Runciman looks at the ways that ideas about the individual and the state have influenced crises including revolutions, wars and depressions. Exploring the theories of thinkers such as Arendt, Marx and Hayek, the Talking Politics host shows how their work continues to relate to the modern world.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published September 9, 2021
51 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
David Runciman
25 books172 followersDavid Runciman teaches politics at Cambridge.
He writes regularly about politics and current affairs for a wide range of publications including the London Review of Books. The author of several books, he also hosted the widely-acclaimed podcast Talking Politics, along with the series ‘History of Ideas’. Past Present Future* is his new weekly podcast, where he is exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology.
*Ideas from the past, questions about the present, shaping the future.
He writes regularly about politics and current affairs for a wide range of publications including the London Review of Books. The author of several books, he also hosted the widely-acclaimed podcast Talking Politics, along with the series ‘History of Ideas’. Past Present Future* is his new weekly podcast, where he is exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology.
*Ideas from the past, questions about the present, shaping the future.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 10, 2022
In his 1651 book, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes imagined the state as the biblical sea monster. Professor David Runciman examines how different philosophers down the centuries have understood the relationship of citizens to the people who govern the state.
Starting with Thomas Hobbes, this book explains how various thinkers have understood and explained the state and its relationship to the people within it. These thinkers range from Gandhi to Marx and from Mary Wollstonecraft to Francis Fukuyama.
The reference point is always Hobbes's Leviathan and how more modern thinkers have agreed with, contradicted or thought differently to Hobbes and how their thoughts influenced the events of their times.
Starting with Thomas Hobbes, this book explains how various thinkers have understood and explained the state and its relationship to the people within it. These thinkers range from Gandhi to Marx and from Mary Wollstonecraft to Francis Fukuyama.
The reference point is always Hobbes's Leviathan and how more modern thinkers have agreed with, contradicted or thought differently to Hobbes and how their thoughts influenced the events of their times.
September 8, 2022
This book is one of my first reads ever to understand modern politics.
A fairly heavy read with some pretty intense concepts, the book analyses the works of some important modern political philosophers who try to explain modern politics and the relationship of the state with its people.
Talking about economics, feminism, violence and the idea of free will, there is a lot to explore.
This is a good starter pack for those who want to understand the origin of modern politics and what is the probable way forward for us.
A fairly heavy read with some pretty intense concepts, the book analyses the works of some important modern political philosophers who try to explain modern politics and the relationship of the state with its people.
Talking about economics, feminism, violence and the idea of free will, there is a lot to explore.
This is a good starter pack for those who want to understand the origin of modern politics and what is the probable way forward for us.
July 6, 2024
I thought this was rather good, although due to the normal unexpected events of life, it took me a little longer to read than expected. Runciman has an engaging writing style which eases one into some quite complex topics.
Runciman does two things in this book. Firstly, he presents a key thinker in political science/ political philosophy, starting with Hobbes, and presents a simple, accessible and enlightening description of their thinking relating to one of their core texts - starting, of course with Hobbes’ Leviathan.
Secondly, as you read through the 12 thinkers he draws comparisons between them. He stays reasonably neutral - pointing out where their predictions have proven in time to be wrong, but the focus is on presenting their thoughts rather than critiquing them in any significant way.
One strength is that the thinkers are varied, and although there are several “dead white men” presented here, he does not restrict himself to the usual limited crowd. Although mainly western thinkers they are not all white or all men. This is a strength.
It’s not a deep analysis, but then 20 or so pages per thinker does not allow this. But it is deep enough and I certainly learnt from his explanations and was introduced to thinkers I was personally less familiar with such as Constant and Fanon. (But then again I have not studied political philosophy formally and so am a relative beginner).
There are elements that can be questioned - such as why start with Hobbes. But for a single volume text aimed at the intelligent lay reader you have to have some limits. If you are interested in political thinkers, and want a good place to start, I think this is a rather good place.
Runciman does two things in this book. Firstly, he presents a key thinker in political science/ political philosophy, starting with Hobbes, and presents a simple, accessible and enlightening description of their thinking relating to one of their core texts - starting, of course with Hobbes’ Leviathan.
Secondly, as you read through the 12 thinkers he draws comparisons between them. He stays reasonably neutral - pointing out where their predictions have proven in time to be wrong, but the focus is on presenting their thoughts rather than critiquing them in any significant way.
One strength is that the thinkers are varied, and although there are several “dead white men” presented here, he does not restrict himself to the usual limited crowd. Although mainly western thinkers they are not all white or all men. This is a strength.
It’s not a deep analysis, but then 20 or so pages per thinker does not allow this. But it is deep enough and I certainly learnt from his explanations and was introduced to thinkers I was personally less familiar with such as Constant and Fanon. (But then again I have not studied political philosophy formally and so am a relative beginner).
There are elements that can be questioned - such as why start with Hobbes. But for a single volume text aimed at the intelligent lay reader you have to have some limits. If you are interested in political thinkers, and want a good place to start, I think this is a rather good place.
September 5, 2023
Fantastisk bog hvis man, som mig, gerne vil forså et bredt udsnit af idéhistorie uden at skulle gennem århundreders originallitteratur. Flot skrevet med en passende faglighed.
Kan klart anbefales - også hvis man har hørt Runcimans podcast
Kan klart anbefales - også hvis man har hørt Runcimans podcast
December 7, 2021
This covers 12 thinkers, from Hobbes to Fukuyama and is the book of the "Talking Politics - History of Ideas" podcast. The podcast is outstanding and I would recommend it to anyone interested in political ideas. It led me on to some enjoyable and fascinating- but also some really challenging - further reading. If it's a choice of the podcast or book, I would choose the podcast - but the book is extremely engaging, well written and can be absorbed more rapidly than a 12 hour podcast series.
March 4, 2025
The life of Man in the state of nature, before the invention of the Modern State was, famously, according to Thomas Hobbes "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” In order to escape this condition he argued that Humans had created the Leviathan, his poetic-mythological term for the State, wherein each subject gave his consent and approval in order that the King, or Sovereign, "has the use of so much power and strength conferred on him that, by terror thereof, he is enabled to form the wills of them all, to peace at home, and mutual aid against their enemies abroad." Thus instituted, the modern state, working through the auspices of a single individual had the authority and power to rule effectively over all his subjects and prevent the anarchy and terror which Hobbes had described as 'The war of all against all.' This rather pessimistic, almost tragic sense of human nature has shaped thinking about Governance ever since.
David Runciman takes Hobbes' view as the start of modern thinking about the State. Of course, questions of Democracy and Authority, Kingship and Anarchy go back to the very beginnings of human History. It was Hobbes however, writing against the backdrop of the English Civil Wars, who had lived through the chaos that ensued when the power of the King waned, and it was he who provided the most stirring description of the role and significance of Political authority. He saw this for himself at close quarters, tutoring the young Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, whose father was beheaded by the Parliamentarians and who later ruled after the Restoration as Charles the second. Since Hobbes, criticisms of this view have come from all quarters. Anarchist writers, to take one instance, have contended that this paints a far too dreary a view of human nature. Is it really the case, they ask, that man in nature exists in constant conflict? Doesn't man have an innate capacity to coexist and cooperate? Doesn't the State instantiate the violence and domination that it purports to save us from? Were our nature really so base and violent, humans would surely never have been able to evolve such Political structures in the first place. This argument marks the key dividing line in our politics between the Conservative and the Progressive.
From this starting point Runciman takes us on a whistle stop tour of multiple writers who have found aspects both to commend and to critique in Hobbes and in the very concept of the State itself. Marx and Engels saw it as an instrument of class domination used by the wealthy and powerful to exploit the poor and use the apparatus of State control to legitimise their dominance. They called infamously, for the seizure of power by the Proletariat which would ultimately lead to the withering away of the State so that "The Government of Persons is replaced by the administration of things." Gandhi saw it as a betrayal of man's benevolent nature, used by wealthy countries like Britain to impose its material and spiritual values on weaker countries such as India. Catherine Mackinnon provides a Feminist critique which sees the State as an instrument of Patriarchy. Hayek worried that the growth of State power would ultimately lead us all down the road to Serfdom, while Francis Fukuyama wondered if the modern State, with its blend of market forces and liberal democratic values, had in fact won out in the battle of ideas, and that we may have reached the end of History.
Whatever your own thoughts on this varied cohort, Runciman is thoughtful and perceptive. He asks the right questions, places them each in their appropriate historical context and refuses to reduce complicated ideas to slogans. Although there are some rather glaring omissions (Rousseau, for example) he is fair-minded to those which he does include and gives ample space and time even to thinkers and ideas which he does not share. Towards the end of the book he also teases out some fascinating thoughts on how the role of the State may yet develop. In the era of the Tech Billionaires, where unelected bro-ligarchs have more wealth and power than half the countries on the face of the earth, what value does the Nation State still have? Maybe our democratic experiment has come to an end, and we should welcome the advent of our new Feudal overlords Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg et al. Or, just possibly, the only effective counterweight capable of taming and subduing these all mighty Masters of the Universe is the power of the modern State. Which prompts one final tantalising thought: What if the battleground of the future is not between Individuals, nor between States, but between The State and the Transnational Corporation. Like some terrible dystopian movie, what if our future really is Leviathan Vs Behemoth?
David Runciman takes Hobbes' view as the start of modern thinking about the State. Of course, questions of Democracy and Authority, Kingship and Anarchy go back to the very beginnings of human History. It was Hobbes however, writing against the backdrop of the English Civil Wars, who had lived through the chaos that ensued when the power of the King waned, and it was he who provided the most stirring description of the role and significance of Political authority. He saw this for himself at close quarters, tutoring the young Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, whose father was beheaded by the Parliamentarians and who later ruled after the Restoration as Charles the second. Since Hobbes, criticisms of this view have come from all quarters. Anarchist writers, to take one instance, have contended that this paints a far too dreary a view of human nature. Is it really the case, they ask, that man in nature exists in constant conflict? Doesn't man have an innate capacity to coexist and cooperate? Doesn't the State instantiate the violence and domination that it purports to save us from? Were our nature really so base and violent, humans would surely never have been able to evolve such Political structures in the first place. This argument marks the key dividing line in our politics between the Conservative and the Progressive.
From this starting point Runciman takes us on a whistle stop tour of multiple writers who have found aspects both to commend and to critique in Hobbes and in the very concept of the State itself. Marx and Engels saw it as an instrument of class domination used by the wealthy and powerful to exploit the poor and use the apparatus of State control to legitimise their dominance. They called infamously, for the seizure of power by the Proletariat which would ultimately lead to the withering away of the State so that "The Government of Persons is replaced by the administration of things." Gandhi saw it as a betrayal of man's benevolent nature, used by wealthy countries like Britain to impose its material and spiritual values on weaker countries such as India. Catherine Mackinnon provides a Feminist critique which sees the State as an instrument of Patriarchy. Hayek worried that the growth of State power would ultimately lead us all down the road to Serfdom, while Francis Fukuyama wondered if the modern State, with its blend of market forces and liberal democratic values, had in fact won out in the battle of ideas, and that we may have reached the end of History.
Whatever your own thoughts on this varied cohort, Runciman is thoughtful and perceptive. He asks the right questions, places them each in their appropriate historical context and refuses to reduce complicated ideas to slogans. Although there are some rather glaring omissions (Rousseau, for example) he is fair-minded to those which he does include and gives ample space and time even to thinkers and ideas which he does not share. Towards the end of the book he also teases out some fascinating thoughts on how the role of the State may yet develop. In the era of the Tech Billionaires, where unelected bro-ligarchs have more wealth and power than half the countries on the face of the earth, what value does the Nation State still have? Maybe our democratic experiment has come to an end, and we should welcome the advent of our new Feudal overlords Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg et al. Or, just possibly, the only effective counterweight capable of taming and subduing these all mighty Masters of the Universe is the power of the modern State. Which prompts one final tantalising thought: What if the battleground of the future is not between Individuals, nor between States, but between The State and the Transnational Corporation. Like some terrible dystopian movie, what if our future really is Leviathan Vs Behemoth?
May 14, 2024
Written in a very digestible way! A good coverage of lots of modern thinkers about the state, from Hobbes onwards. Runciman provides a balanced view to many of the largest political ideas of the modern era, and provides context between them effectively.
Saves me reading a lot of very hefty political philosophy which is a large plus.
Loses half a mark for the high levels of Hobbes apologism / fanboying that Runciman does.
Saves me reading a lot of very hefty political philosophy which is a large plus.
Loses half a mark for the high levels of Hobbes apologism / fanboying that Runciman does.
March 14, 2022
Runciman is a liar, his idols are not confronting the Leviathan, rather they are bringing more power to the Leviathan and an unlimited promise of suffering for the subjects of the Leviathan, in exchange for eternal bliss a few decades after death.
October 27, 2021
Excellent - Runciman has an peerless ability to distil ideas from a range of different thinkers into his own clear and engaging narrative on the enduring role of the modern state. Highly recommended
November 9, 2022
"We haven't yet reached the point where we have to make the ultimate choice between state and us.
Not yet."
damn this guy really wants to fuck Hobbes
Not yet."
damn this guy really wants to fuck Hobbes
April 24, 2024
This book is based on a series of talks given in the Talking Politics: History Of Ideas podcast, which David Runciman recorded in 2020 and which I listened to during the first COVID lockdown. These talks got me interested in political philosophy as a concept, an interest which continues today, and although Runciman himself admits that this is just one approach of many that could be taken to his subject, it's a compelling one. He suggests Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, as the foundational work of political philosophy which defines the concept of the modern state, and argues his case why this concept is the key difference between modern and pre-modern politics. Each of the following chapters then takes a different political thinker, examines them through a famous work of theirs, and presents that work as in conversation with Leviathan on the nature and purpose of politics and the modern state. These chapters are presented essentially chronologically and lead up to Catharine MacKinnon and Francis Fukuyama in the more-or-less modern day.
"Based on" is not an entirely accurate description; this book essentially transcribes the talks. There are relatively few additions (one that's noteworthy is an additional bit of context on how Gandhi applied his nonviolence philosophy to the concept of the Holocaust, which was originally raised in a Q&A episode of the podcast). This might be a case of "original format wins" but I would say I overall preferred the podcast to the book; this was clearly written to be spoken out loud and occasionally the structure of sentences, paragraphs, or even chapters, feels weaker as a written product. Some chapters are less effective on the page and often it feels like Runciman is ending in the middle of a thought, rather than coming to a specific conclusion. It's still a strong read however and a good companion to the podcast.
"Based on" is not an entirely accurate description; this book essentially transcribes the talks. There are relatively few additions (one that's noteworthy is an additional bit of context on how Gandhi applied his nonviolence philosophy to the concept of the Holocaust, which was originally raised in a Q&A episode of the podcast). This might be a case of "original format wins" but I would say I overall preferred the podcast to the book; this was clearly written to be spoken out loud and occasionally the structure of sentences, paragraphs, or even chapters, feels weaker as a written product. Some chapters are less effective on the page and often it feels like Runciman is ending in the middle of a thought, rather than coming to a specific conclusion. It's still a strong read however and a good companion to the podcast.
August 31, 2023
Did this one in a weekly book club last semester, good introductory work to some of the main writers of political philosophies and critical theories. From Wollstonecraft to MacKinnon, Marx & Engles to Gandhi, Constant to Hayek… while dismantling their main arguments and introducing their opus, Runciman tells all these stories basing upon his insightful understanding of the English thinker, Hobbes and his theoretical assumption of Leviathan, noteworthily, in a context of the Pandemic. He concisely and creatively extracts a sea of political thoughts and raises debates on topics surrounding modern state system.
However, the reason why I have left a star darkened is, from time to time the paragraph can get wordy, or too some extent, redundant. That’s understandable since the book originally comes from a Podcast script, only slightly refined I guess. But after all an excellent book, through which one can truly be inspired.
However, the reason why I have left a star darkened is, from time to time the paragraph can get wordy, or too some extent, redundant. That’s understandable since the book originally comes from a Podcast script, only slightly refined I guess. But after all an excellent book, through which one can truly be inspired.
December 20, 2023
Um bom, porém limitado e superficial, em partes, breve relato do pensamento político "moderno". Vale mais como leitura de primeiras aproximações dos autores. Alguns capítulos são bons, outros, nem tanto... Em especial o capítulo sobre Engels e Marx e o sobre Hannah Arendt; particularmente decepcionantes, o primeiro pela clara posição "liberal" (ou neoliberal) do autor, homem branco britânico de classe média alta; o segundo por um declarado incomodo de David Runciman em relação à relevância de Arendt, mal estar criado pelos muitos "fãs" contemporâneos dela. Falta nitidamente ao autor, quanto à Arendt, ter lido os textos para além do básico.
De modo geral, recomendo a quem tiver tempo e interesse em leitura básica sobre política.
De modo geral, recomendo a quem tiver tempo e interesse em leitura básica sobre política.
January 22, 2024
A good series of vignettes on individual political philosophers, though admittedly one with very wide blind spots in terms of the philosophers it covers.
There is, of course, nothing stopping the author from prioritising Benjamin Constant and Mary Wollstonecraft over J.S. Mill and Edmund Burke, but it does feel weird that some far more influential thinkers are deprioritised in a book which aims to shine a light on the development of modern thinking on the state.
Then again, this cuts both ways. I'm not sure many other books would put Catharine MacKinnon and Francis Fukuyama on their lists, but the book benefits from giving their theories their own place.
There is, of course, nothing stopping the author from prioritising Benjamin Constant and Mary Wollstonecraft over J.S. Mill and Edmund Burke, but it does feel weird that some far more influential thinkers are deprioritised in a book which aims to shine a light on the development of modern thinking on the state.
Then again, this cuts both ways. I'm not sure many other books would put Catharine MacKinnon and Francis Fukuyama on their lists, but the book benefits from giving their theories their own place.
November 23, 2023
A really good overview of some very famous political philosophy. Sometimes Runciman gets a bit too wordy, some paragraphs feel a bit random and/or redundant. Additionally, he occasionally presents his opinion as fact; especially in conclusions, he made assertions in the first person as if they were a given when they were often entirely subjective.
July 21, 2023
This book was amazing !!! So many different points of view that build on each other as you read through, very easy read, a great starting point for political theory books.
September 30, 2023
Dense, difficult, intelligent, good primer, gave me a long long reading list
January 29, 2024
I don't usually enjoy politics books, but this was done at a slower pace and investigated the idea's of those who came before us. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I learnt alot.
November 11, 2024
Cool stuff. Maybe just a transcript of the first series of the History of Ideas (which is superb) but a transcript of that is a very handy thing for anybody lucky enough to be lectured by Runciman.
February 9, 2023
3.5/5 going to be a bit harsh and round down for Goodreads. I got a hardcover new on clearance for £5 and for that I am happy with it. Maybe worth a read if you can find a reasonably priced copy but not a must read.
The book is 260 pages long and summarises/explains the author's interpretation of 12 important thinkers and their works. The main theme the book focuses on is the idea of the state and state control. In terms of scope the book begins with Hobbes' 'Leviathan' and ends with Fukuyama's 'The End of History'. Each chapter has a brief biography of the individiual and explains the historical context they were writing in, then explains their ideas and ends with a bit on how this applies to the 21st century (mainly COVID related). Of the 12 works chosen there are two anti-colonial works (Gandhi and his 'Hind Swaraj' and Frantz Fanon's 'The Wretched of the Earth', I found Fanon more interesting) and two feminist ones (Wollstonecraft's 'Vindication of the Rights of Women' which was an interesting chapter and Catherine MacKinnon's 'Towards of a Feminist Theory of the State' which I found rather boring). The rest of the book is mainly political thinkers like Arendt, Weber, Tocqueville etc. At the end of the book there is a further reading section for each chapter which always includes a watch/listen like lectures on Youtube or podcasts as well as books.
Personally I enjoyed the chapters on Hobbes, Wollstonecraft, Tocqueville, Marx and Weber the most.
To me the author's interpretations seemed fine but I am very much an amateur on the subject. I haven't listened to the author's Talking Politics podcast this book was based on and apart from Marx and Engel's Communist Manifesto I haven't actually read any of the works mentioned. So I am basically assuming the author's takes are reasonable rather than knowing for certain.
The book is 260 pages long and summarises/explains the author's interpretation of 12 important thinkers and their works. The main theme the book focuses on is the idea of the state and state control. In terms of scope the book begins with Hobbes' 'Leviathan' and ends with Fukuyama's 'The End of History'. Each chapter has a brief biography of the individiual and explains the historical context they were writing in, then explains their ideas and ends with a bit on how this applies to the 21st century (mainly COVID related). Of the 12 works chosen there are two anti-colonial works (Gandhi and his 'Hind Swaraj' and Frantz Fanon's 'The Wretched of the Earth', I found Fanon more interesting) and two feminist ones (Wollstonecraft's 'Vindication of the Rights of Women' which was an interesting chapter and Catherine MacKinnon's 'Towards of a Feminist Theory of the State' which I found rather boring). The rest of the book is mainly political thinkers like Arendt, Weber, Tocqueville etc. At the end of the book there is a further reading section for each chapter which always includes a watch/listen like lectures on Youtube or podcasts as well as books.
Personally I enjoyed the chapters on Hobbes, Wollstonecraft, Tocqueville, Marx and Weber the most.
To me the author's interpretations seemed fine but I am very much an amateur on the subject. I haven't listened to the author's Talking Politics podcast this book was based on and apart from Marx and Engel's Communist Manifesto I haven't actually read any of the works mentioned. So I am basically assuming the author's takes are reasonable rather than knowing for certain.
April 14, 2022
This book is useful if you want an introduction to the history of political thought. However, it seems like the author lost the motivation to continue writing at the halfway point. Even though some chapters are much better than others, with the chapters on Gandhi, Arendt and Fanon seeming especially incohesive, “Confronting Leviathan” is still enjoyable.
May 11, 2023
Amazing introduction to a few of histories most important political revolutions. With additional reading lists to supplement the introductions of the subjects. Highly recommend for those interested in reading a high-level analysis of several important point sin political history.
March 19, 2022
Ideas worth considering. The collection is eclectic: some very familiar faces and some new. Many left out, but that is unavoidable.
March 20, 2022
Fascinating, digestible and enlightening run through the story of the modern state. The podcast series was superb and so is this. Introduces key thinkers in an engaging and entertaining way.
May 6, 2022
The podcast series is possibly the best form of this work by Runciman, but it really is excellent. A mine of accessible insight into 12 important political writers.
September 18, 2022
Thank you so much, David, for seeing me through the worst of the lockdown.
December 22, 2022
Accessible and beautiful book about the evolution of the modern state.
January 25, 2023
Great book with a brief introduction of all the major political-philosophic thinkers.
I will read it again and make notes & mindmaps.
I will read it again and make notes & mindmaps.
April 26, 2023
4.5 stars
May 10, 2023
I found this book hard to read. Some of his writing was quite dense, and his two chapters that looked at women were very surface level compared to the others.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews