Do you ever ruminate what your life would be like if there were no government? Thomas Hobbes is one of the most influential European political philosophers that illustrates this question. Western political philosophy has its ties to the common law of the United Kingdom, but few people have knowledge of the “founding father” of our modern political system. Born prematurely in the English county of Wiltshire, Hobbes was raised by his father’s older brother named Francis, who was a wealthy merchant without a family. Being a bright student, Hobbes obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1608 from Magdalen Hall, which was the predecessor to Hertford College at Oxford (Jacobson et. al. 469).
Following his own curriculum, he was recommended by his master Sir James Hussey to tutor William, son of William Cavendish, the Baron of Hardwick. Hobbes formed a close connection with that family and he and William went on a grand tour of Europe in 1610, where he was exposed to scientific and critical methods, as compared to the scholastic philosophy that he had studied at Oxford, which focused on Greek and Latin authors (Hinnant). His first area of …show more content…
The name is derived from the Old Testament of the Bible to describe Satan as a large sea monster that would attempt to eat God’s creatures (Hermann 132-39). Hobbes emphasizes the need for a strong, central authority so that civil war could be avoided. He postulates what life would be like if there were no government, a condition that he calls the “state of nature”. In that case, everyone would have the freedom to do whatever, and whenever, they wanted to, but this would result in a “war of all against all” (Aubrey & Gaskin, 1994). Hobbes’ Leviathan, however, contains no doctrine on separation of powers and it affirms that the sovereign must control military, civil, judicial, and ecclesiastical powers (Dorling-Kindersley Pub.
Following his own curriculum, he was recommended by his master Sir James Hussey to tutor William, son of William Cavendish, the Baron of Hardwick. Hobbes formed a close connection with that family and he and William went on a grand tour of Europe in 1610, where he was exposed to scientific and critical methods, as compared to the scholastic philosophy that he had studied at Oxford, which focused on Greek and Latin authors (Hinnant). His first area of …show more content…
The name is derived from the Old Testament of the Bible to describe Satan as a large sea monster that would attempt to eat God’s creatures (Hermann 132-39). Hobbes emphasizes the need for a strong, central authority so that civil war could be avoided. He postulates what life would be like if there were no government, a condition that he calls the “state of nature”. In that case, everyone would have the freedom to do whatever, and whenever, they wanted to, but this would result in a “war of all against all” (Aubrey & Gaskin, 1994). Hobbes’ Leviathan, however, contains no doctrine on separation of powers and it affirms that the sovereign must control military, civil, judicial, and ecclesiastical powers (Dorling-Kindersley Pub.