num_pages: 260
description: Behemoth is essential to any reader interested in the historical context of the thought of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). In De Cive (1642) &amp; Leviathan (1651), the political philosopher had developed an analytical framework for discussing sedition, rebellion &amp; the breakdown of authority. Behemoth, completed around 1668 &amp; unpublished until after his death, represents the systematic application of this framework to the English Civil War. Stephen Holmes examined the major themes &amp; implications of Behemoth in Hobbes' system of thought in an insightful essay. Holmes notes that a fresh consideration of Behemoth dispels persistent misreadings, including the idea that man is motivated solely by a desire for self-preservation. Behemoth, which is cast as a series of dialogs between a teacher &amp; pupil, locates the principal cause of the Civil War less in economic interests than in the stubborn irrationality of key actors. It also shows more vividly than any of Hobbes' other works the importance of religion in his theories of human nature &amp; behavior.
language: English
title: Behemoth: The History of the Causes of the Civil Wars of England
titlecomplete: Behemoth: The History of the Causes of the Civil Wars of England
characters: Oliver Cromwell, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland
genres: History, Classics, Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, British Literature
ratings_count: 131
places: Commonwealth of England, Kingdom of England
publisher: Burt Franklin (NYC)