Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (Noel Malcolm Edition)

"He that is to govern a whole nation must read in himself, not this or that particular man, but mankind."

Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan is not just one of the greatest philosophical texts in the English language, it is one of the most important works in the history of Western political thought. Almost every major tradition in the centuries since Hobbes, from radical democracy to authoritarianism, has been influenced by its arguments. Written in exile during a period of dramatic upheaval, civil war and regicide, Leviathan is in some ways a product of its own extraordinary circumstances. And yet it deals with fundamental issues that matter to all of us today: the nature and purpose of the state, the relationship between human nature and politics, the idea of natural rights, the justification of authority, the concept of representation, the nature of sovereignty, the limits of obedience and the relationship between religious and civic obligation.

This new edition offers a definitive text drawn from more than twenty years of research by Noel Malcolm, including, in English translation, all the most significant revisions Hobbes made in his later Latin translation of Leviathan, along with extensive explanatory notes that elucidate Hobbes's language and identify the many Biblical, classical and other allusions scattered throughout his text.

This book is featured on The Book Club with Michael Knowles, PragerU's show dedicated to the great books of Western civilization. In this episode, Michael Knowles is joined by John Yoo, professor of law at UC Berkeley, to discuss how Hobbes's vision of a social contract, trading freedom for security to escape a brutal state of nature, has shaped political philosophy for centuries.

📺 Watch the episode: John Yoo — Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

Own this definitive Noel Malcolm edition of Hobbes's Leviathan, and discover why his account of sovereignty and the social contract still shapes debates over government today.