- Published: December 28, 2021
- Updated: December 28, 2021
- University / College: University of Chicago
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
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Hobbess key Philosophical contributions to social and political Philosophy Thomas Hobbes was a prominent philosopher from England who was able to present a systematic view on the peculiarities of social life as well as political world in his book Leviathan. He is largely thought to have influenced Social as well as Political Philosophy in a number of aspects. This paper will present some of his contributions.
To begin with, one might point out that in the former field he was the first person to comment on the state of affairs prior to creation of the government. Thus, it was Hobbes who assumed that people used to be evil savages. This, in its turn, logically resulted in the second provision which is attributed to the philosopher in question: the concept of war of all against all (Bobbio 41). Finally, there is another contribution which should be marked in particular: Hobbes suggested that religion should play a lesser role in explaining the state of social affairs which led to decrease of role of religion in science in general.
As for the political dimension of his legacy, one should point out that this philosopher advocated the idea of a social contract that all the people concluded in order to stop the chaos around them. In addition to that, this idea is closely connected to the considerations about the positive role of an absolute monarch which embodied the power which the other people were not able to resist (Lloyd 289). In other words, the institute of monarchy that is condemned by the modern democratic society is what Hobbes valued rather high.
Works Cited
Bobbio, Norberto. Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1993. Print.
Lloyd, S. A. Ideals as Interests in Hobbess Leviathan: The Power of Mind over Matter. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.