Book · 2024 · Philosophy
Leviathan
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes has been mentioned in 14 episodes across 11 podcasts (0 episodes recommend it and 14 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Ada Palmer (1 episode), Alex O’Connor (1 episode) and Auron MacIntyre (1 episode) on EconTalk (2 episodes), Lex Fridman Podcast (2 episodes) and Modern Wisdom (2 episodes).
#211 of 17,175 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- episodes
- 14
- podcasts
- 11
- people
- 14
- episodes recommend it
- 0
We need a restrictive government because left to our own devices human life is nasty brutish and short.
Questions about Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Who has discussed Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes on podcasts?
No speaker in our archive has explicitly recommended Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes; Ada Palmer (1 episode), Alex O’Connor (1 episode), Auron MacIntyre (1 episode), Bill Thompson (1 episode) and Christopher Ryan (1 episode) have discussed it across 11 podcasts (14 people in all).
Which podcasts mention Leviathan the most?
EconTalk (2 episodes), Lex Fridman Podcast (2 episodes), Modern Wisdom (2 episodes), Behind the Bastards (1 episode) and Dwarkesh Podcast (1 episode), among 11 podcasts in all.
Is Leviathan recommended, or only discussed?
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes was recommended in 0 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 14 episodes, as of 2026-09-17.
What do people say about Leviathan?
Jamil Zaki on Huberman Lab (2024-09-02): "We need a restrictive government because left to our own devices human life is nasty brutish and short."
When was Leviathan last mentioned on a podcast?
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes was last discussed on The Jordan Harbinger Show by Christopher Ryan on 2026-09-17.
What they say about it
- Discusses human life as nasty brutish and short“nasty, brutish, and short”3
- Written during the English Civil War“English Civil War”2
The best things said about it
Hobbes of course had the perspective in Leviathan which was written in 1651 that in the absence of a strong central authority human beings would live in a condition of perpetual war with every man against every other man.
Machiavelli becomes exciting first in the aftermath of the publication of Hobbes's Leviathan, because Hobbes's Leviathan hits European thought like a truck full of bricks.
Ada Palmer Dwarkesh Podcast · Jun 2026 The entire reason that we have government in the first place if you think back to Leviathan and some of these early political thought philosophers the only reason that we have a social contract with the government is to protect private property.
Why does Thomas Hobbes write the Leviathan? Because he had to flee him being a royalist during the English Civil War. he has to flee to to France because of the English civil war and he writes this tract about how we should all submit to a to authoritarian dictator essentially.
If you go back and read Hobbes Leviathan, even though he's making an argument for secular government, 9/10 of it is couched in biblical language.
He lived during the English Civil War and he wrote his masterpiece Leviathan in response to the English Civil Wars have traumatized him.
Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
14 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is a foundational 1651 political treatise arguing that human life in a state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short, and that peace requires absolute submission to a strong central authority. The book was widely referenced across podcast conversations on history and philosophy. Christopher Ryan cited Hobbes's famous line on The Jordan Harbinger Show while discussing the pre-state narratives he challenges in his own work. Ada Palmer discussed the book on the Dwarkesh Podcast, noting how its publication hit European thought like a truck and subsequently boosted Machiavelli's popularity. Libby Emmons mentioned Leviathan on Timcast IRL while arguing that the social contract exists solely to protect private property. Bill Thompson referenced the text on The Joe Rogan Experience alongside John Locke and Montesquieu to discuss the philosophical roots of the American governmental experiment. Alex O'Connor explained the text's historical context on Modern Wisdom, pointing out that Hobbes wrote the tract advocating for authoritarian submission after fleeing to France as a royalist during the English Civil War. Toby Stuart mentioned reading it in graduate school on EconTalk while discussing dominance hierarchies, while Auron MacIntyre noted on The Tucker Carlson Show that its secular arguments were heavily couched in biblical language. Robert Evans also referenced the book on Behind the Bastards to illustrate historical perspectives on human nature and perpetual conflict in the absence of central authority.
Every mention
Ada Palmer Machiavelli becomes exciting first in the aftermath of the publication of Hobbes's Leviathan, because Hobbe… 1
“Machiavelli becomes exciting first in the aftermath of the publication of Hobbes's Leviathan, because Hobbes's Leviathan hits European thought like a truck full of bricks.”
Alex O’Connor Why does Thomas Hobbes write the Leviathan? Because he had to flee him being a royalist during the English… 1
“Why does Thomas Hobbes write the Leviathan? Because he had to flee him being a royalist during the English Civil War. he has to flee to to France because of the English civil war and he writes this tract about how we should all submit to a to authoritarian dictator essentially”
Auron MacIntyre If you go back and read Hobbes Leviathan, even though he's making an argument for secular government, 9/10… 1
“If you go back and read Hobbes Leviathan, even though he's making an argument for secular government, 9/10 of it is couched in biblical language.”
Bill Thompson You read Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan or John Locke or Montesquieu. All of them talked about this great experim… 1
“You read Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan or John Locke or Montesquieu. All of them talked about this great experiment that was being set up”
Christopher Ryan So I call it the neo-Hobzian narrative. As you refer to Hobbes' line from Leviathan, before the advent of t… 1
“So I call it the neo-Hobzian narrative. As you refer to Hobbes' line from Leviathan, before the advent of the state, human life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Graeme Garrard he lived during the English Civil War and he wrote his masterpiece Leviathan in response to the English Civ… 1
“he lived during the English Civil War and he wrote his masterpiece Leviathan in response to the English Civil Wars have traumatized him”
Jamil Zaki I often think about you know one of the best encapsulations of a cynical view of Life comes from Thomas Hob… 1
“I often think about you know one of the best encapsulations of a cynical view of Life comes from Thomas Hobbs the philosopher who in his book Leviathan said we need a restrictive government because left to our own devices human life is nasty brutish and short”
John Mearsheimer It's what he calls the Leviathan. And that, of course is the title of his famous book. 1
“It's what he calls the Leviathan. And that, of course is the title of his famous book.”
“Hobbes's view is that the way to get out of this terrible situation, where individuals are competing with each other and even killing each other, is to create a state, which he calls the Leviathan. That is, of course, the title of his famous book.”
Lex Fridman The Book of Ecclesiastes states that 'it's all vanity; it's all meaningless.' 1
“The Book of Ecclesiastes states that 'it's all vanity; it's all meaningless.'”
Libby Emmons Just going back though to this idea of that I mean the entire reason that we have government in the first p… 1
“Just going back though to this idea of that I mean the entire reason that we have government in the first place if you think back to Leviathan and some of these early political thought philosophers the only reason that we have a social contract with the government is to protect private property.”
Richard Gunderman well if you read leviathan i think hobbs thinks we're fundamentally egoists 1
“well if you read leviathan i think hobbs thinks we're fundamentally egoists”
Robert Evans Hobbes of course had the perspective in Leviathan which was written in 1651 that in the absence of a strong… 1
“Hobbes of course had the perspective in Leviathan which was written in 1651 that in the absence of a strong central authority human beings would live in a condition of perpetual war with every man against every other man.”
Stephen Dubner the title of Scott hershfitz's new book nasty brutish and short may be familiar to you it is part of a famo… 1
“the title of Scott hershfitz's new book nasty brutish and short may be familiar to you it is part of a famous phrase written by the 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbs in his book Leviathan”
Toby Stuart So um one is you know and let's go all the way back to you know Leviathan which we both probably read in in… 1
“So um one is you know and let's go all the way back to you know Leviathan which we both probably read in in in graduate school but but but no one likes man in in in the state of n in his state of nature without so some sort of social organization”
Other mentions (6: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Here's an idea. Leviathan.”
“Do you remember Ecclesiastes 9:11? No time and chance happens to them all.”
“And if enough people—there's a whole book in the Jewish Bible called Ecclesiastes that basically makes this point!”
“Like nature really has it out for you, um, and if you're unprotected in a state of nature like it, you know, the old, the old thing is you know life and state of nature is, is is is what is it nasty, brutish and short, poor, solitary, nasty, brutish and short, Hobbes, yeah, exactly. And so so look technology,”
“I mean, there are verses in Ecclesiastes that talk about repetition throughout time, but there's always that same driving force and that element that created the Soviet Union and many other nightmares before and after it.”
“It is part of a famous phrase written by the 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his book 'Leviathan.'”