7/23/2019 Leviathan Themes _ GradeSaver.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/leviathan-themes-gradesaverpdf 1/4

12/9/2015 Leviathan Themes | GradeSaver  

http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan/study-guide/themes

Section Navigation

Leviathanby Thomas Hobbes

Leviathan Themes

Materialism

Strain that runs through Hobbes' thought that, in contrast to essentialism, stressed the external world is

known to use only through our senses, and as such we can only prove the existence of things we sense.In contrast to philosophers like Francis Bacon, Hobbes did not think philosophy should be based on

materialism.

Essentialism

Aristotelian philosophy that humans sense the external world through the "essences" of objects, which

are qualities relating to sense. Hobbes believed this was false given that man's experience with the world

is entirely subjective, and that Aristotle's doctrine gave credence to the belief in spirits and the

immortality of the soul.

Contractarianism

the school of thought that used a hypothetical social contract that people agreed to in order to escape

the state of nature. This contract established a form of society and government, although the exact form

of government differs depending on the theorist. Other prominent contractarians include John Locke,

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls.

7/23/2019 Leviathan Themes _ GradeSaver.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/leviathan-themes-gradesaverpdf 2/4

12/9/2015 Leviathan Themes | GradeSaver  

http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan/study-guide/themes

Utilitarianism

Philosophy that stressed that morality and politics should seek to maximize the amount of good and

minimize the amount of pain for men. This denied the existence or importance of any objective moral

laws or standards in favor of pragmatic results. While Hobbes' philosophy evinced many traits of this

school of thought, utilitarianism is mostly attributed to the work of John Stuart Mill.

Egoism

Doctrine that individuals are fundamentally driven by their own self-interest. This is a central tenet of

Hobbes' thought, as men leave the state of nature out of self-interest, and perform their moral and civic

obligations for this reason as well

Rationalism

Often associated with Enlightenment thought, the belief that truth should be based on solid reason

rather than dogma or tradition. In its idealistic form, this preached the power of reason to further human

knowledge.

How To Cite http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan/study-guide/themesin MLA Format

White, Ryan. Miller, W.C. ed. "Leviathan Themes". GradeSaver, 6 October 2006 Web. 9 December 2015.

7/23/2019 Leviathan Themes _ GradeSaver.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/leviathan-themes-gradesaverpdf 3/4

12/9/2015 Leviathan Themes | GradeSaver  

http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan/study-guide/themes

how hobbes drawthe idea of socialcontract? it it hecontradict the pointof lock on socialcontract?Gradesaver covers this topic in full on

their "About" page. Simply follow the

direct link provided below.

http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan

1. Does thestrongest man haveany benefit over theweakest because heis the strongest?No they have the same benefit

Asked by Alondra O #419513

Answered by Ali S #419512 10 months

ago 1/27/2015 3:33 AM

Nature to SocietyHobbes has laid out a general case for

how humans come to live in society,

namely, that they are driven to it by

fear. In order to have a more thorough

picture of how society comes about,

Hobbes directs his attention tohuman

nature, so that we can...

Asked by noreen r #244945

Answered by jill d #170087 a year ago

Leviathan Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Leviathan is a great resource to ask questions,

find answers, and discuss the novel.

7/23/2019 Leviathan Themes _ GradeSaver.pdf

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/leviathan-themes-gradesaverpdf 4/4

12/9/2015 Leviathan Themes | GradeSaver  

http://www.gradesaver.com/leviathan/study-guide/themes

Asked by amna k #442992

Answered by jill d #170087 7 months

ago 5/11/2015 6:04 PM

1/6/2015 4:22 AM

Essays for Leviathan

Leviathan literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by

students and provide critical analysis of Leviathan.

An Examination of Leviathan and The Second Treatise ofGovernment

Social Fragmentation in the Leviathan: A Critique of Hobbes

The Purpose of Language

Melville's Political Thought in "Moby-Dick"

Lock, Hobbes, and the Federalist Papers

E-Text of Leviathan

Leviathan E-Text contains the full text of Leviathan

Introduction

Part 1: Of Man, Chapters 1-5

Part 1: Of Man, Chapters 6-10

Part 1: Of Man, Chapters 11-16

Part 2: Of Commonwealth, Chapters 17-21

Wikipedia Entries for Leviathan

Introduction

Content

References

Further reading