Leviathan

Leviathan is a foundational text in political philosophy that explores the structure of society and legitimate government. Hobbes uses the metaphor of the Leviathan, a sea creature from biblical lore, to represent the powerful state that arises from the collective agreement of individuals. He argues that in a state of nature, humans are driven by self-interest and are in constant conflict, leading to a life that is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To escape this chaos, individuals come together to form a social contract, agreeing to cede certain freedoms to a sovereign authority in