The Social Contract · Character
Thomas Hobbes
The English philosopher whose sovereign-as-shepherd image Rousseau mocks, then musters as a foil for the entire argument.
supporting
Also known as Hobbes
First appearance: i subject of the first book
As a supporting figure in The Social Contract, Thomas Hobbes is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Mentioned alongside Grotius for viewing the human race as divided into herds with rulers who devour them.
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Hobbes looms over the opening books as the thinker who reduced political society to a herd of cattle guarded by a ruler who devours them. Rousseau treats this as the logical endpoint of any theory that grounds obedience…
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See Thomas Hobbes in i subject of the first bookCharacter Web
7 connectionsA slice of how Thomas Hobbes sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Political and Legal Thinkers
- Protagonist
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Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs in the recognition that the tribunate, as a "link or middle term,"…
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Thomas Hobbes appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
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See Thomas Hobbes in i subject of the first book