--- product_id: 29637901 title: "Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction" price: "AED 77" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/29637901-hobbes-a-very-short-introduction store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction **Price:** AED 77 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction - **How much does it cost?** AED 77 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/29637901-hobbes-a-very-short-introduction) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was the first great English political philosopher, and his book Leviathan was one of the first truly modern works of philosophy. Richard Tuck shows that while Hobbes may indeed have been an atheist, he was far from pessimistic about human nature, nor did he advocate totalitarianism. By locating him against the context of his age, we learn that Hobbes developed a theory of knowledge which rivaled that of Descartes in its importance for the formation of modern philosophy. Review: An authoritative introduction to the first great English political philosopher - The author starts by telling us "Hobbes created English-language philosophy". Really? What of Francis Bacon, to whom Hobbes once acted as amanuensis? Poor Bacon does get a brief, grudging mention later on. The description in the blurb of Hobbes as "the first great English political philosopher" is probably more accurate. Certainly he is important, in a broad Western context. He was central to the transition from medieval to modern thought, and was a strong influence on Rousseau and others. Tuck is an expert guide (despite his inexplicable slighting of Bacon) and his style is very readable. This introduction covers Hobbes's life, works and intellectual legacy. Reliable and informative, it is highly recommended as an introduction to, and summary of, Hobbes's ideas, but to better appreciate the context, you might want to read (dare I say it?) Bacon's Essays first. Review: A Good, But Not Great, Introduction - Thomas Hobbes is one of the more obscure of the important philosophers of history. He is, of course, best known for "Leviathan", and its political theory of the absolute authority of the sovereign ruler. What Richard Tuck does well in this book is to locate Hobbes within a larger philosophical context which explores in intricate detail Hobbes's biography. Attention is given to Hobbes's metaphysics, a point often overlooked in introductory remarks on Hobbes's theory. All in all this makes the book very informative. The drawback here is that Tuck has written the book with so much thorough attention given to background and context that it feels as though the meat of Hobbes's philosophy gets lost in translation. Sure, Tuck offers up plenty of reflection on philosophy, but it feels like Hobbes's philosophy isn't the focal point of the book, which makes this read a bit unusual. That said, the good nevertheless outweighs the bad, and I'd recommend this little book to anyone looking to learn more about this important figure. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,393,543 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #839 in History of Philosophy #1,537 in Modern Western Philosophy #73,032 in Biographies (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 93 Reviews | ## Images ![Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91oX2f7gAhL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An authoritative introduction to the first great English political philosopher *by P***E on August 12, 2007* The author starts by telling us "Hobbes created English-language philosophy". Really? What of Francis Bacon, to whom Hobbes once acted as amanuensis? Poor Bacon does get a brief, grudging mention later on. The description in the blurb of Hobbes as "the first great English political philosopher" is probably more accurate. Certainly he is important, in a broad Western context. He was central to the transition from medieval to modern thought, and was a strong influence on Rousseau and others. Tuck is an expert guide (despite his inexplicable slighting of Bacon) and his style is very readable. This introduction covers Hobbes's life, works and intellectual legacy. Reliable and informative, it is highly recommended as an introduction to, and summary of, Hobbes's ideas, but to better appreciate the context, you might want to read (dare I say it?) Bacon's Essays first. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Good, But Not Great, Introduction *by C***. on March 9, 2016* Thomas Hobbes is one of the more obscure of the important philosophers of history. He is, of course, best known for "Leviathan", and its political theory of the absolute authority of the sovereign ruler. What Richard Tuck does well in this book is to locate Hobbes within a larger philosophical context which explores in intricate detail Hobbes's biography. Attention is given to Hobbes's metaphysics, a point often overlooked in introductory remarks on Hobbes's theory. All in all this makes the book very informative. The drawback here is that Tuck has written the book with so much thorough attention given to background and context that it feels as though the meat of Hobbes's philosophy gets lost in translation. Sure, Tuck offers up plenty of reflection on philosophy, but it feels like Hobbes's philosophy isn't the focal point of the book, which makes this read a bit unusual. That said, the good nevertheless outweighs the bad, and I'd recommend this little book to anyone looking to learn more about this important figure. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A very short (and very good) introduction. *by C***N on March 20, 2025* I was very impressed by the author's extensive discussion of the historical and philosophical context in which Hobbes was writing. That helped me understand the author's discussion of Hobbes' beliefs and what Hobbes thought the implications to be. The issues about which Hobbes wrote continue to be critically important, even though I suspect that few of us would find Hobbes' answers satisfactory. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/29637901-hobbes-a-very-short-introduction](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/29637901-hobbes-a-very-short-introduction) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*