Leviathan

or The Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil

By: Thomas Hobbes

Narrated by: James Adams

Length: 23 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

The leviathan is the vast unity of the State. But how are unity, peace, and security to be attained? Hobbes’ answer is sovereignty, but the resurgence of interest today in Leviathan is due less to its answers than its methods: Hobbes sees politics as a science capable of the same axiomatic approach as geometry.

Written during the turmoil of the English Civil War, Leviathan was, in Hobbes’ lifetime, publicly burnt and even condemned in Parliament as one of the causes of the Great Fire of London in 1666. Its current appeal lies not just in its elevation of politics to a science, but in its overriding concern for peace, its systematic analysis of power, and its convincing apologia for the then-emergent market society in which we still live.

Public Domain (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Leviathan is a remarkable attempt to explain and justify the institution of government, and it remains one of the masterpieces of political thought.” ( Masterpieces of World Literature)

Keep the bible near at hand...

the narrator did a good job...bravo!

A word of advice : brush up on your bible before listening.. If you have the time, reread it...and i mean all the bible : old and new testament. It will be very useful, especially for Part 2 and 3...

Gotta love that 1600s saltiness

I love how he spends half the book talking through the Bible at length just for the point of showing Catholics are ridiculous and divine right is total b.s.

goid piece of history.

glad to have read it. sheds a great deal of light on the time in which it was written. also gives a better understanding of the text so often referenced

Splendid

Leviathan is a masterpiece and Mr. Adams does a wonderful job lending our dear friend Hobbes a voice.

Omg this was boring

I loved the parts about political philosophy but towards the end it literally felt like he was just quoting the Bible for 5 hours.

Great narration, voice and emotion

Loved the story, the manner of speech and the speed...
It is a book I will revisit later

Insightful

Many people to this day would save themselves an abundance of time looking foolish if they would simply study this book and the arguments it puts forth.

Exquisite Insight with Machiavellian Tone

Hobbes may be as much appreciated as he is reviled for this absolutist thesis offered like a Greek or Roman philosopher. His certainty as to what is right or ought to be right in terms of how to conduct ourselves is not unlike the musings of Confucius but with a more transactional and finite voice. I applaud James Adams for presenting Hobbes’ words in a way that I would have imaged the man himself likely would have sounded: humorless and interested in distilling fine points to draw clean lines around his philosophy.
Hobbes is foundational to work that succeeded him. If you are keen to discover the origins of our modern political morality, which is not the same at all as individual morality, this book should be at the origination of your path along with The Prince. However, do proceed with significant caution. Given that much of this work is tied to scripture, and in a rapid-fire way, you should assume that if you are not very familiar with The Bible much of this content will fly over you. However, there are nuggets of insight in the first half of the book that are oft quoted by other philosophers. The dive is worth it for the sake of completionism. I think though that few of us will come away liking the messenger in this case.

Shaping ideas about society

An elegant exploration of the social construct, elucidating the reasons behind the current state of society. It provides a historical perspective, allowing readers to grasp the broader vision of governmental structures.

For PoliSci Graduate Students as a Readalong

I bought this audiobook as a readalong to the book for a graduate class in Political Theory on Classical Liberalism. The printed book is difficult and densely written, especially with odd spellings, long sentences, and intense definitions. It helps to have the audiobook playing as you read the book, to break down the sentences.

This is no light reading. It is for academicians and students only. Yet, it provides a connection between the 13th century Magna Carta or Rights of Man, and the French and American revolutions, which raised individual rights to a new height. Hobbes believes in individual rights but maintains that monarchy is the best form of central government. This connection is important to political theory, and Hobbes is its main author.

The narration is clear and with just the right affect as to delineate between concepts. The Greek in the text is ignored in the audiobook, but does not detract from the idea. Well done audiobook perfectly calibrated to the Norton Critical edition.