LEVIATHAN

The life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short'. "Leviathan" is a work of political philosophy. Written by Thomas Hobbes during a time of civil war, it argues that sovereign rule is the most stable form of government. 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. Written during the English Civil War (1642-1651), it 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 be avoided only by strong, undivided government.