# Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

11 Hacker News commenters recommended Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a foundational text on how political power and society are organized, still relevant and clearly argued. No critic-agreed caveat.

## Why people recommend it

- Foundational, comprehensive argument on society (2 comments): "It's one of the fundamental texts on societal organization from a few centuries ago." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47422021)) "Hobbes gives a far more comprehensive argument than Locke does." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47427144))
- Still relevant centuries later (2 comments): "I can read Hobbes here today in the 21st century and still find the pessimistic core of his book powerful and relevant" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47431540)) "It's one of the fundamental texts on societal organization from a few centuries ago." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47422021))
- Short, enjoyable to read (2 comments): "Its not very long, but I use this in my daily life" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038980)) "Hobbes I can respect and enjoy reading." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47423266))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher](https://hackerapproved.com/p/capitalist-realism.md): 7 recommend
- [The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli](https://hackerapproved.com/p/prince.md): 5 recommend
- [The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/federalist-papers.md): 4 recommend
- [Politics by Aristotle](https://hackerapproved.com/p/politics.md): 3 recommend
- [The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels](https://hackerapproved.com/p/communist-manifesto.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0020655207?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780020655206) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes", https://hackerapproved.com/p/leviathan/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).