- I have no idea what I am supposed to take from this book or what this book is about

- the OP has not put even 2 lines explaining what, where, why, how, when etc

- Anyone mind explaining what this book is about?

riffraff 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It's one of the fundamental texts on societal organization from a few centuries ago. It's been a few decades since I finished school, so I may misremember but IIRC:

The author believes that mankind would naturally live in a brutal state of conflict (homo homini lupus est, men are wolves to each other).

But mankind can give up their self interest and give their authority to a government/sovereign (the titular leviathan, a giant monster made of multiple people) that can rule with absolute power and guarantee an environment in which we are all better.

I cannot for the life of me imagine how this ended up on the HN front page, but it's cool.

	▲	kruffalon 7 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> I cannot for the life of me imagine how this ended up on the HN front page, but it's cool. But then again you're riffraff how could you imagine that :)
	▲	FrustratedMonky 28 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		"It's one of the fundamental texts on societal organization from a few centuries ago." No Spoilers.

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cess11 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

One might consider it the magnum opus of Thomas Hobbes, a pioneering political thinker who had a massive influence on both conservatism and liberalism. For conservatives his arguments on human nature that conclude that we are inherently brutish and violent and cannot be allowed to rule ourselves are very attractive. He proposed an early social contract theory as a solution, which liberalists have found very attractive.

Hobbes was an intellectual on the right, which is a rather uncommon subject here. He was rather well versed in the science and scholastic methods of his time, and took pains to try and think his views through and make good arguments. This is more than you could say about, say, Rand or Mises, thinkers under the same umbrella who loathed intellectuals.

Now the right is plaguing us with crypto- and outright fascists who don't actually know anything, don't want to know anything, and especially don't want us to know anything. E.g. this recent interview with Marc Andreessen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBVe3M2g_SA&t=56s , who, with unbridled confidence, makes the claim that original sin was invented by Freud in the 1920s and that no "great men" of history wasted time on introspection and self reflection.

I might be an enemy of the right, but Hobbes I can respect and enjoy reading.

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hunterpayne 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

"For conservatives his arguments on human nature that conclude that we are inherently brutish and violent and cannot be allowed to rule ourselves are very attractive."

I really hope you are European. What you said is true of (most) European Conservatives. If you are an American, that is the most incorrect thing I have read all week. American Conservatives are the exact opposite of what you describe.

The core of the American right wing is to reject the idea in your quote in all ways. The individual is the highest ideal in libertarian ideology. This is why the US Republicans never, ever align themselves with political parties in other countries. They have a completely different set of beliefs. And for some weird reason Europeans completely ignore this and will even react violently when it is explained to them. Its just weird...

	▲	urikaduri 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Conservatives draw towards authoritarian or "strong" leaders reflect this idea, while its at odds with the more individualistic philosophy. There is a cognitive dissonance there.

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neomantra 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Watching that again reminds me that this guy is so poorly educated and not learned. Sure he was an engineering student at UIUC and wrote a neato browser, but wow he does not know history or philosophy well.

But he does the grifter trick of making coy observations like that 1920s bs. And he had so much time and wealth to improve those insights!

Or, he knows but this narrative makes him feel better about his behavior.