English political philosopher most famous for this work, Leviathan published in 1651 advocating political absolutism.
Hobbes became tutor to the Cavendish family after studies at Oxford. When the Civil War broke out in 1642, Hobbes fled to Paris where he became tutor the the Prince of Wales (future Charles I. When the war was over, he followed the Prince, then restored to the throne, back to England. In 1651 he published Leviathan in which he argued that all humans possess an innate sense of fear of chaos and insecurity. As a result they naturally seek self-preservation. This provides motivation for government; men would gladly enter into a permanent contract with, and surrender their individual powers to, a government (the leviathan) that alone could guarantee to keep them safe and their properties secure.
Coming so soon after the Civil War, his philosophy found disdain from those who upheld the liberty of all English men from the excesses of kings as well as those who upheld the divine right of the monarchy, and never really caught on.
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