Research Paper On Thomas Hobbes

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Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679, was an English philosopher of the Enlightenment period who had a very harsh view on human nature and severely doubted our ability to make decisions for the good of society. Hobbes was born on April 5, 1588 in London, England to impoverished parents, so it was his wealthy uncle who provided the funds for his education. His advanced intellect as a child was recognized and he received training in Greek and Latin classics before going to Oxford University in 1603. He studied at Oxford for the next five years, but felt unfulfilled by the school’s focus on ancient logic so he skipped most of the lectures to spend time reading and studying Greek and Latin. After he graduated from school in 1608 Hobbes got a job tutoring for …show more content…

Soon, he published his translation of History of the Peloponnesian Wars but did not start a new translation for a long time because he started to become interested in mathematics. Unfortunately, Hobbes was not a very skilled mathematician and most of his proofs were wrong, but he did learn from Euclid’s geometry that they only way to establish anything was through deductive reasoning and shortly after he published his second book, A Short Treatise on First Principles. This second work discussed philosophical ideas in terms of mathematics, Hobbes truly believed that everything, including thoughts and emotions, could be understood through math. In 1629 Hobbes moved to Paris with his employer and, in between tutoring sessions, met with French mathematicians and philosophers who helped him with his theories. His ultimate goal was to use math to figure out solutions to some of England’s societal problems, and this use of rational rather than emotional thought ended up shaping his …show more content…

During his lifetime his views were controversial, especially his views on government as it became apparent that he was not exclusively loyal to the king, just the state (so when the king ruled he was loyal to him but when Oliver Cromwell ruled he was loyal to him). Even with this controversy Hobbes is still regarded as one of the great thinkers of the Enlightenment period. He came up with the idea of the social contract, which was very influential later in the Enlightenment, and was a pioneer of political philosophy and political liberalism. He had many interests during his long life but he was known primarily as a philosopher and writer, despite his enthusiasm for mathematics. Near the end of his life, when his works were being declared heretical, it was only his close friendship with King Charles II that kept him from being prosecuted. Hobbes lived to 91 and was still doing translations and writing articles until the end. His last words were, “I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark” before dying of complications related to a stroke on December 4,

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