<P> Leviathan or The Matter , Forme and Power of a Common - Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil -- commonly referred to as Leviathan -- is a book written by Thomas Hobbes ( 1588 -- 1679 ) and published in 1651 ( revised Latin edition 1668 ) . Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan . The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government , and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory . Leviathan ranks as a classic western work on statecraft comparable to Machiavelli 's The Prince . Written during the English Civil War ( 1642 -- 1651 ) , Leviathan argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign . Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ( `` the war of all against all '' ) could only be avoided by strong , undivided government . </P>
<P> Leviathan or The Matter , Forme and Power of a Common - Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil -- commonly referred to as Leviathan -- is a book written by Thomas Hobbes ( 1588 -- 1679 ) and published in 1651 ( revised Latin edition 1668 ) . Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan . The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government , and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory . Leviathan ranks as a classic western work on statecraft comparable to Machiavelli 's The Prince . Written during the English Civil War ( 1642 -- 1651 ) , Leviathan argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign . Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ( `` the war of all against all '' ) could only be avoided by strong , undivided government . </P>
who wrote leviathan detailing his ideas about a state of nature
who wrote leviathan detailing his ideas about a state of nature
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes