Leviathan
Hobbes's 1651 argument that life without a sovereign is 'nasty, brutish, and short' — the founding text of social contract theory.
Origin
Thomas Hobbes, writing through the English Civil War, argued in Leviathan (1651) that in the 'state of nature' — humans without government — life is a war of all against all, and so 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' Rational people therefore submit to an absolute sovereign (the Leviathan of the title, named after the biblical sea monster) in exchange for security. The frontispiece, showing a giant king composed of tiny subjects, is one of the most reproduced images in political philosophy.
Modern usage
'Nasty, brutish, and short' is one of the most quoted phrases in political writing — used about regions, eras, and Twitter discourse. 'State of nature' arguments still structure debates about anarchism, libertarianism, and what government is actually for. The book sits beside Rousseau's Social Contract as the polar pair of early-modern political theory.
Tags