Leviathan (Summarized Edition)
Enriched edition. An annotated social contract classic on the state of nature, absolute sovereignty, and church-state authority during the English Civil WarBy Thomas Hobbes
Length5h 18m
About this audiobook
A dense, architectonic treatise, Leviathan offers an anatomy of the commonwealth, opening with an account of human psychology—endeavors and aversions, power, passions—within a mechanistic philosophy; from this Hobbes derives the state of nature as 'war of every man against every man' and the rational laws of nature culminating in the social contract and submission to an undivided sovereign, by institution or acquisition. Combining geometrical definitions with polemical eloquence and scriptural exegesis, Leviathan (1651) emerges from the intellectual ferment of the Scientific Revolution and the confessional strife of the English Civil War. Hobbes (1588–1679), educated at Oxford and long associated with the Cavendish household, absorbed the new mechanics via Galileo and corresponded amid the Parisian philosophical milieu. Witness to civil tumult and exile, he feared the corrosions of sectarian zeal and scholastic obscurity; these experiences, alongside his materialist psychology, drove his bid to secure peace through absolute sovereignty. This work rewards readers in political theory, law, history, and theology. Whether one seeks foundations for state authority, a sharp account of liberty as non-impediment, or a cautionary meditation on disorder, Leviathan remains indispensable—provocative, lucid, and unsettling in its insistence that security precedes all other goods.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy
Length5 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 12, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
31Chapter XXIII. Of the Public Ministers of Sovereign Power
2Introduction
32Chapter XXIV. Of the Nutrition and Procreation of a Commonwealth
3Synopsis
33Chapter XXV. Of Counsel
4Historical Context
34Chapter XXVI. Of Civil Laws
5Author Biography
35Chapter XXVII. Of Crimes, Excuses, and Extenuations
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6Introduction
36Chapter XXVIII. Of Punishments and Rewards
7The First Part: Of Man
37Chapter XXIX. Of Those Things that Weaken or Tend to the Dissolution of a Commonwealth
8Chapter I. Of Sense
38Chapter XXX. Of the Office of the Sovereign Representative
9Chapter II. Of Imagination
39Chapter XXXI. Of the Kingdom of God by Nature
10Chapter III. Of the Consequence or Train of Imaginations
40The Third Part: Of a Christian Commonwealth
11Chapter IV. Of Speech
41Chapter XXXII. Of the Principles of Christian Politics
12Chapter V. Of Reason and Science
42Chapter XXXIII. Of the Number, Antiquity, Scope, Authority, and Interpreters of The Books of Holy Scripture
13Chapter VI. Of the Interior Beginnings of Voluntary Motions, Commonly Called the Passions; and the Speeches by which They are Expressed
43Chapter XXXIV. Of the Signification of Spirit, Angel, and Inspiration in the Books of Holy Scripture
14Chapter VII. Of the Ends or Resolutions of Discourse
44Chapter XXXV. Of the Signification in Scripture of Kingdom of God, of Holy, Sacred, and Sacrament
15Chapter VIII. Of the Virtues Commonly Called Intellectual; and Their Contrary Defects
45Chapter XXXVI. Of the Word of God, and of Prophets
16Chapter IX. Of the Several Subject of Knowledge
46Chapter XXXVII. Of Miracles and Their Use
17Chapter X. Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honour and Worthiness
47Chapter XXXVIII. Of the Signification in Scripture of Eternal Life, Hell, Salvation, the World to Come, and Redemption
18Chapter XI. Of the Difference of Manners
48Chapter XXXIX. Of the Signification in Scripture of the Word Church
19Chapter XII. Of Religion
49Chapter XL. Of the Rights of the Kingdom of God, in Abraham, Moses, the High Priests, and the Kings of Judah
20Chapter XIII. Of the Natural Condition of Mankind as Concerning Their Felicity and Misery
50Chapter XLI. Of the Office of Our Blessed Saviour
21Chapter XIV. Of the First and Second Natural Laws, and of Contracts
51Chapter XLII. Of Power Ecclesiastical
22Chapter XV. Of Other Laws of Nature
52Chapter XLIII. Of what is Necessary for a Man's Reception into the Kingdom of Heaven
23Chapter XVI. Of Persons, Authors, and Things Personated
53The Fourth Part: Of the Kingdom of Darkness
24The Second Part: Of Commonwealth
54Chapter XLIV. Of Spiritual Darkness from Misinterpretation of Scripture
25Chapter XVII. Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition of a Commonwealth
55Chapter XLV. Of Demonology and Other Relics of the Religion of the Gentiles
26Chapter XVIII. Of the Rights of Sovereigns by Institution
56Chapter XLVI. Of Darkness from Vain Philosophy and Fabulous Traditions
27Chapter XIX. Of the Several Kinds of Commonwealth by Institution, and of Succession to the Sovereign Power
57Chapter XLVII. Of the Benefit that Proceedeth from Such Darkness, and to Whom It Accrueth
28Chapter XX. Of Dominion Paternal and Despotical
58A Review and Conclusion
29Chapter XXI. Of the Liberty of Subjects
59Analysis
30Chapter XXII. Of Systems Subject Political and Private
60Reflection
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