The life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short'.
"Leviathan" is a work of political philosophy. Written by Thomas Hobbes
during a time of civil war, it argues that sovereign rule is the most
stable form of government. The work concerns the structure of society
and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and
most influential examples of social contract theory. Written during the
English Civil War (1642-1651), it argues for a social contract and rule
by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute
situation of a state of nature (""the war of all against all"") could be
avoided only by strong, undivided government.