Leviathan · Chapter
Of Imagination explained
Hobbes defines imagination as 'decaying sense,' explaining how sensory impressions persist and fade over time.
What happens
Hobbes defines imagination as 'decaying sense,' explaining how sensory impressions persist and fade over time. He distinguishes between simple and compound imagination, discusses dreams as products of bodily motions, and critiques superstitious beliefs in spirits and witches, arguing that such fancies undermine civil obedience.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it reveals the sovereign's right to punish is not a gift from subj…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Human Nature and Passions
Hobbes explores how human passions (fear, anger, desire) influence imagination and dreams, and how superstitious fears arise from ignorance of natural causes.
- Religion and Civil Authority
Critiques the use of superstition (fairies, ghosts, exorcism) by 'ghostly men' to maintain power, arguing that such beliefs hinder civil obedience.
Characters to notice
- Marcus Brutus
Cited as an example of a man whose troubled conscience and fear led to a dream (the apparition at Philippi) mistaken for a vision.
- Julius Caesar
Mentioned as the one who gave Brutus his life and was later murdered by him.
- Augustus Caesar
Referenced as the opponent Brutus faced at the Battle of Philippi.
Key passages
“Imagination, therefore, is nothing but 'decaying sense'; and is found in men, and many other living creatures, as well sleeping, as waking.”
Imagination is simply sense perception that fades over time, present in both humans and animals during sleep and wakefulness.
Core definition of imagination in the chapter.
“From this ignorance of how to distinguish dreams, and other strong fancies, from vision and sense, did arise the greatest part of the religion of the Gentiles in time past, that worshipped satyrs, fawns, nymphs, and the like; and nowadays the opinion that rude people have of fairies, ghosts, and goblins, and of the power of witches.”
The inability to tell dreams and vivid imaginings from reality led to pagan religions and modern superstitions about fairies, ghosts, and witches.
Hobbes connects epistemological confusion to the origin of religious and superstitious beliefs.
