HOBBES, THOMAS

born April 5, 1588, Westport, Wiltshire, Eng. died Dec. 4, 1679, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire Hobbes, detail of an oil painting by John Michael Wright, in the National Portrait Gallery, London English philosopher and political theorist, best known for his publications on individual security and the social contract, which are important statements of both the nascent ideas of liberalism and the longstanding assumptions of political absolutism characteristic of the times. Additional reading The standard edition of Hobbes's complete works is that by Sir William Molesworth, comprising The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, 11 vol. (183945, reprinted 1962 ), and Thomae Hobbes Malmeburiensis Opera Philosophica, quae Latine Scripsit Omnia . . ., 5 vol. (183945, reprinted 1961). Notable modern editions of separate works are Leviathan, ed. by Michael Oakeshott (1946, reissued 1957); The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic and Behemoth, ed. by Ferdinand Tnnies (1889; 2nd ed. 1969); and De Cive, or, The Citizen, ed. by Sterling P. Lamprecht (1949, reprinted 1982), an English version. David D. Raphael, Hobbes (1977), an introduction to his thought, includes a review of the 20th-century literature on Hobbes. Other studies include Leo Strauss, The Political Philosophy of Hobbes (1936, reissued 1966); and Howard Warrender, The Political Philosophy of Hobbes (1957). Biographies include George C. Robertson, Hobbes (1886, reprinted 1971); and Richard S. Peters, Hobbes, 2nd ed. (1967). Charles H. Hinnant, Thomas Hobbes: A Reference Guide (1980), includes a chronological list of editions of his works and writings about him from 1679 to 1976. Major Works: Human Nature; or, The Fundamental Elements of Policie (1650); De Corpore Politico; or, The Elements of Law, Moral and Politick (1650); Leviathan; or the Matter, Forme, and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civil (1651); The Questions Concerning Liberty, Necessity, and Chance (1656).