His experience during a time of upheaval in England influenced his thoughts, which he captured in The Elements of Law (1640) De Cive (1642) and his most famous work, Leviathan (1651). His works are considered important statements of the nascent ideas of liberalism as well as of the longstanding assumptions of absolutism characteristic of the times.Thomas Hobbes was known for his views on how humans could thrive in harmony while avoiding the perils and fear of societal conflict.

In 1666 Parliament threatened to investigate him as an atheist. Hobbes returned to Britain in 1651 after the death of Charles I. In Paris he wrote his best-known work, Leviathan (1651), in which he attempted to justify the absolute power of the sovereign on the basis of a hypothetical social contract in which individuals seek to protect themselves from one another by agreeing to obey the sovereign in all matters. He fled to Paris in 1640, where he tutored the future King Charles II of England. He later turned to political theory, but his support for absolutism put him at odds with the rising antiroyalist sentiment of the time. After graduating from the University of Oxford he became a tutor and traveled with his pupil in Europe, where he engaged Galileo in philosophical discussions on the nature of motion. The son of a vicar who abandoned his family, Hobbes was raised by his uncle. 4, 1679, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire), English philosopher and political theorist. Thomas Hobbes, (born April 5, 1588, Westport, Wiltshire, Eng.-died Dec. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.

Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them!

Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.

100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.

COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.

Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.

This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.

#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.

Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.

Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.

Hobbes 1651