Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher who is widely regarded as one of the great political philosophers of the 17th century. His most famous work, Leviathan, is a masterpiece of political thought that deals with the problem of social and political order, and how human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict. Hobbes is also famous for his early and elaborate development of what has come to be known as "social contract theory," which is the method of justifying political authority by appeal to an agreement among the governed.

Hobbess philosophy was influenced by two major factors: a reaction against religious authority and a deep admiration for the emerging scientific method, alongside an admiration for geometry. Hobbes believed that human beings are naturally selfish and violent, and that the only way to avoid the "war of all against all" that would result from this is to establish a strong, centralized government that has the power to enforce its laws. He argued that political authority is justified by a hypothetical social contract among the many that vests in a sovereign person or entity the responsibility for the safety and well-being of all.

Hobbess moral philosophy has been less influential than his political philosophy, in part because that theory is too ambiguous to have garnered any general consensus as to its content. Most scholars have taken Hobbes to have affirmed some sort of personal relativism or subjectivism; but views that Hobbes espoused divine command theory, virtue ethics, rule egoism, or a form of projectivism also find support in Hobbess texts and among scholars.

In summary, Thomas Hobbes was a political philosopher who believed that human beings are naturally selfish and violent, and that the only way to avoid the "war of all against all" is to establish a strong, centralized government that has the power to enforce its laws. His philosophy was influenced by a reaction against religious authority and a deep admiration for the emerging scientific method, alongside an admiration for geometry.