HOBBES, Thomas

Employed for much of his adult life as a wealthy (including royal) family tutor. Convinced of the universal selfishness of human beings, only kept in order by firm political order. Famously he observes that man’s life is naturally “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" from which we are saved by a necessary social contract. 

Life

• Brief BBC biography of Hobbes

• A basic introduction to the life and work of Hobbes

• A short introduction to Hobbes and some of his principal ideas

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Hobbes

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Hobbes

Writings

• Works of Hobbes in the Online Library of Liberty