Philosophy

Leviathan

by Thomas Hobbes

A philosopher, writing during a civil war, decides life without strong government is nasty, brutish, and short, and designs an all-powerful sovereign to prevent it. He calls that sovereign a monster on the cover on purpose. Hobbes is rarely quoted kindly and rarely refuted successfully either.

The librarian

Read it in the Library After Dark Or read it as plain text

Reading time

About 14 hr 10 min

Where to find it

On the Philosophy shelves

Edition

Project Gutenberg, eBook #3207. In the public domain in the United States.