Thomas Hobbes Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Thomas Hobbes Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
About Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes was born on April 5, 1588, in Westport, Wiltshire, England.Thomas Hobbes is famously remembered as an English scientist and philosopher who gained massive recognition for his book ‘Leviathan’ based on the topic of political philosophy. This work of Thomas Hobbes is also believed to be a further formulation of the social contract theory.This seventeenth-century political philosopher primarily perceived the government body as a device that ensured collective security. Through his works as a political philosopher, Thomas Hobbes justified the powers of the government body entirely based upon the self-interested consent of the citizens. The focal point of the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes was that a society or a state could never be secure unless they were at the disposal of absolute sovereign power.Thomas Hobbes is also recognized for rejecting the theses of Aristotle which talked about human beings being naturally suited to live in a polis and that they do not completely realize their nature until and unless they live like citizens. Through his theory of political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes believed that he could enable human beings to build a more productive society that was more peaceful and stable than its current state.Hobbes further believed that in order to reach this state, the scope of politics should be narrower than that which prevailed in the past. Hobbes further believed that the primary aim of politics should be to satisfy some morally neutral and basic needs of society rather than aiming to organize it around certain contentious principles. Other than the field of political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes significantly contributed to the fields of physics, history, geometry, jurisprudence, philosophy, ethics, and theology.Thomas Hobbes also happened to be one of the first to establish the concept of materialism in philosophy. Even though Thomas Hobbes’ political ideas provided a new and fresh perspective, they were highly criticized as they mainly viewed politics as a means of serving self-interest. At the same time, Aristotle’s theory of politics talked about how it served both the higher needs as well as the basic needs. Some of the notable works of Thomas Hobbes which earned him great recognition include ‘Behemoth’ in 1681, ‘De Corpore’ in 1655, ‘De Cive’ in 1647, and most notably ‘Leviathan’ in 1651. Scroll down to know more about the life and ideologies of the English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes.Childhood And EducationThomas Hobbes was born on April 5, 1588, in Westport, Wiltshire, England Thomas Sr. Hobbes was a premature baby as his mother gave birth to him when she heard of the incoming Spanish Armada.Thomas Hobbes’ early life is blurred, not a lot of information is available including the name of his mother. On the account of his premature birth, Thomas Hobbes once stated that his mother gave birth to twins: to and to fear.Growing up, Hobbes lived with his siblings, a sister named Anne and an elder brother named Edmund. Thomas Sr. was the father of Thomas Hobbes, he was Westport and Charlton’s vicar by profession. After some time, Hobbes and his siblings lived with the elder brother of Thomas Sr, Francis as Thomas Sr got involved in a fight that eventually drove him out of London.Hobbes began his educational journey at the Westport church from the age of four and then went on to study at the Malmesbury school. Following his time at Malmesbury school, Hobbes joined a private school run by an Oxford University graduate, Robert Latimer. For his higher studies, Thomas Hobbes joined Magdalen Hall now recognized as Hertford College, Oxford where he studied mathematics and scholastic logic. Eventually, Hobbes parted ways with Oxford and joined St John’s College, Cambridge to complete his B.A. degree in 1608. Throughout his lifetime, Thomas Hobbes worked alongside the likes of Ben Jonson and later as the amanuensis of Francis Bacon.Family and RelationshipBefore going to Oxford for his studies, Thomas Hobbes lived with his family which included his siblings, his father, and the elder brother of his father. Hobbes is believed to have never married throughout his lifetime and has never fathered any children as well. Not a lot is known about the romantic life of Thomas Hobbes, he always gained recognition only for his political philosophy and any other politics-related theory.The English philosopher passed away at the age of 91 on December 4, 1679, after suffering from a bladder disorder followed by a paralytic attack. Hobbes spent the last few days of his life living at the Cavendish family-owned Hardwick Hall. The last words which Hobbes spoke are believed to be ‘A great leap in the dark.‘Career And Professional HighlightsBest Known For…Thomas Hobbes gained massive fame for his political philosophy which primarily focused on the way in which a government should be organized so as to avoid civil war. Through his political philosophies, Hobbes conveyed the message that human beings are by default unsuited to political life, they can be easily swayed and tend to think more highly of themselves than of other people.All these claims in his political philosophies were contrary to the works of Aristotle and thus Hobbes garnered considerable attention for his work. He also stated that no human is above aggression as well as the anarchy that lives within him. According to Hobbes, war was a more natural phenomenon to men than political order as the latter was possible only when people could abandon their natural tendency of judging, pursue what suits best to them and delegate the work of judging to some other person. This notion was believed to be completely contrary to human nature and thus political order was believed to be more difficult to achieve than war.Thomas Hobbes is well known for his works on political philosophy which have earned him massive respect from all across the world. Some of his works were also published posthumously after he passed away in 1679. The best works of Thomas Hobbes included ‘A Short Tract on First Principles’, ‘Tractatus Opticus II’, ‘Objectiones ad Cartesii Meditationes de Prima Philosophia 3rd series of Objections’, ‘Of Liberty and Necessity’, ‘Philosophicall Rudiments concerning Government and Society – English translation of De Cive’, ‘Human Nature: or The fundamental Elements of Policie’, ‘A Dialogue between a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Laws of England’, ‘The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic’, and ‘Six Lessons to the Professor of Mathematics’.One of the most famous works of Thomas Hobbes ‘Behemoth’ was written back in 1668 but wasn’t published for long at the request of the king. The first pirated version of the work was released in 1679. It was later published posthumously as the sixth volume of Thomas Hobbes’ work titled ‘Behemoth: the History of the Causes of the Civil Wars of England, and of the Counsels and Artifices By Which They Were Carried on From the Year 1640 to the Year 1660’.Thomas Hobbes’ Hobbies And InterestsThomas Hobbes took great interest in the subjects of geometry, history, political philosophy, and ethics.Other Interesting Thomas Hobbes Facts And TriviaThomas Hobbes’ work had a great influence on the eventual legal, political, and social philosophy of the western world.It is believed that Thomas Hobbes was largely influenced by the works of greats such as Hugo Grotius, Aristotle, Thomas White, Plato, Francis Bacon, Roger Bacon, Paolo Sarpi, Thucydides, Cicero, Epicurus, Robert Grosseteste, Tacitus, and a few others.Thomas Hobbes was often on the receiving end of atheism-related accusations owing to his works which portrayed his complex religious belief.Hobbes often translated Greek works into English. The first such was in 1628 when Hobbes translated ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’, a work of Thucydides.Apart from English, Hobbes had several Latin works as well and five such works were found later on along with his eleven volumes of English writings.Hobbes was in Paris from 1630 - 1637 following the death of his previous employer, Cavendish in 1628.During his time in Paris from 1630, Hobbes initially worked as the tutor of Sir Gervase Clifton’s son, Gervase Clifton.Thomas Hobbes returned to England in 1637 and wrote his famous work ‘The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic’ but the work could not be published and was in circulation only as a manuscript among his acquaintances of Thomas Hobbes.After fleeing to Paris once again in 1640, Hobbes’ political interests rekindled when the English Civil War started in 1642. Due to the civil war, several royalists traveled to Paris who had contacts with Hobbes which then revoked his political interests.Thomas Hobbes once suffered a near-death experience in 1647 due to which the English philosopher was not able to walk for around six months. Upon recovery, Hobbes resumed working on Leviathan and completed it by 1650.In his last days, Thomas Hobbes was surrounded by controversy for his works on the topics of geometry and other philosophical works.In 1666, after a bill was passed prohibiting profaneness and atheism, Thomas Hobbes was under the radar for his work, Leviathan. Ultimately, Hobbes was sentenced he could from them not to publish any material in England which was related to the subjects of human conduct.Some of Thomas Hobbes’ works that earned him great fame during his lifetime included ‘Elements of Philosophy, The First Section, Concerning Body – anonymous English translation of De Corpore’, ‘Stigmai, or Marks of the Absurd Geometry, Rural Language, Scottish Church Politics, and Barbarisms of John Wallis’, ‘De Principis & Ratiocinatione Geometrarum’, ‘Three Papers Presented to the Royal Society Against Dr. Wallis. Together with Considerations on Dr. Wallis his Answer to them’, ‘Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civil’, and many more.Some of Thomas Hobbes’ works that were released posthumously but were eventually not included in the Molesworth editions were ‘Tractatus opticus II (1st complete ed.)’, ‘Of the Life and History of Thucydides’, ‘The Correspondence of Thomas Hobbes’, ‘Three Discourses: A Critical Modern Edition of Newly Identified Work of the Young Hobbes (TD)’, and a few others as well.Editorial credit: Natata / Shutterstock.com
Thomas Hobbes Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Thomas Hobbes Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was born on April 5, 1588, in Westport, Wiltshire, England.
Thomas Hobbes Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Thomas Hobbes Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Birth Name
Place Of Birth Westport, UK Age 435 years old
Birth Date April 4 1588
Thomas Hobbes Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher, Historian, Scientist Education & Qualifications St John’s College
Parents Thomas Sr. Siblings Anne Hobbes, Edmund Hobbes
