Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was the first great English philosopher and one of the most important theorists of human nature and politics in the history of Western thought.

This superlative introduction presents Hobbes` main doctrines and arguments, covering all of Hobbes` philosophy. A.P. Martinich begins with a helpful overview of Hobbes` life and work, setting his ideas against the political and scientific background of seventeenth-century England. He then introduces and assesses, in clear chapters, Hobbes` contributions to fundamental areas of philosophy:

epistemology and metaphysics, in particular Hobbes` materialism and determinism and his relation to Descartes
ethics and political philosophy, concentrating on Hobbes` most famous work, Leviathan, and the theory of the social contract it advances
philosophy of science, logic and language, considering Hobbes` theory of nominalism and his writing on rhetoric and the uses of language;
religion, examining Hobbes` analyses of revelation, prophets and miracles.
The final chapter considers the legacy of Hobbes` thought and his influence on contemporary philosophy.