Written in 1651, Leviathan is a foundational book in philosophical theory that invents the myth of absolute power, laying the groundwork for modern political tradition. It posits that humans, based on their unique capacity for determination and thought, decided to provide themselves with a common, artificial law. Consequently, law was no longer based on the divine world, but on the human world.

The Leviathan is a mythical sea creature with the head of a dragon and the body of a serpent, mentioned several times in the Bible. Hobbes uses it to depict the authority of the ruler or the state, with which people, under a new social contract, replace the authority of religion or theology.

About the Author:

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was born to a Protestant father and showed early precocity. He began studying Latin and Greek at the age of six and translated Euripides' 'Medea' into Latin. He continued his university studies, obtaining a degree in arts in 1608. He published works on psychology and physics. During the English Revolution, he settled in Paris in 1640, where he associated with philosophers like Descartes. Influenced by the religious wars in France and England, he developed a new philosophy and published several works on the elements of natural laws, human nature, and the foundations of politics.

About the Translators:

Diana Harb holds a postgraduate diploma in the history of law from the Sorbonne University in France. She has undertaken numerous translation projects in legal, literary, and scientific fields in Arabic, French, and English, including:

• Translation of the book 'The Hundred Days' by Dominique de Villepin.
• Participation in the translation of economic laws for the Arab Gulf states at the Bureau of Studies and Consultations in Legal Informatics.
• Publication of a dictionary titled 'Legal Latin Abbreviations and Phrases'.

Book Details:

• Publishing house: Dar Al-Farabi for Publishing and Distribution
• Number of Pages: 688
• Year of publication: 2011