Hobbes Leviathan was an undeniably difficult read. Flipping to the back of the book continuously to look up definitions was rather bothersome. Despite this I found the book was very thought-provoking and had some very interesting concepts. I am really confused about Hobbes and his religious views. Many accused him of being atheist and I can see why. In the book it is implied that he is christian. Yet his views contradict and are very different from traditional religious beliefs. The idea of materialism was evident throughout the book. He thought that the world was only known to us through our senses. Thus we can only prove the existence of things we sense. His religious views were very different than most people’s at that time. Hobbes view on human nature was that he did not believe the mind or soul was separate from the human body. He states that he doesn’t believe in incorporeal spirits such as gods, ghosts, angels, or demons. Don’t people of the christian faith believe in incorporeal spirits, since god is incorporeal? I found this all very interesting so I read parts from book III. Hobbes talked about how all ideas, knowledge, and power must originate from the sovereign. And if what the sovereign says contradicts God’s natural laws then we have a problem. In that case you should follow what the sovereign says. Hobbes obviously had very different views on religion than most people at that time.
