The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic
Hobbes’s first political treatise, in two parts. The first analyses sense, imagination, speech, the passions and the laws of nature; the second explains how a body politic is formed, why sovereign power must be absolute and undivided, and how the duties of subjects, servants, children and Christians fit within it.
Understanding the text
Completed in May 1640 and dedicated to William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, it circulated in manuscript during the quarrels over royal power that preceded the Long Parliament. Its two parts were printed separately in 1650 as Human Nature and De Corpore Politico; the first edition under the original title was published by Ferdinand Tönnies in 1889.
Key points
- 01
Life as a race
The first part compares human life to a race that has no other goal than being foremost, and defines each passion as a way of running it.
- 02
Two kinds of learning
The dedication contrasts mathematical learning, founded on reason and free from dispute, with dogmatic learning driven by passion, and seeks to give justice and policy the certainty of the former.
- 03
Undivided sovereignty
The second part argues that a government dividing sovereignty among several bodies would leave no final judge, and so would return people to the condition of war.
Explore the ideas in depth
Passions, reason and the body politic
See how The Elements of Law builds a political argument on an analysis of the passions and on the hope of a science of justice.
Situating the text
Completed in May 1640 and dedicated to William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, it circulated in manuscript during the quarrels over royal power that preceded the Long Parliament. Its two parts were printed separately in 1650 as Human Nature and De Corpore Politico; the first edition under the original title was published by Ferdinand Tönnies in 1889. Hobbes’s first political treatise, in two parts. The first analyses sense, imagination, speech, the passions and the laws of nature; the second explains how a body politic is formed, why sovereign power must be absolute and undivided, and how the duties of subjects, servants, children and Christians fit within it.
Following the arguments
Life as a race : The first part compares human life to a race that has no other goal than being foremost, and defines each passion as a way of running it. Two kinds of learning : The dedication contrasts mathematical learning, founded on reason and free from dispute, with dogmatic learning driven by passion, and seeks to give justice and policy the certainty of the former. Undivided sovereignty : The second part argues that a government dividing sovereignty among several bodies would leave no final judge, and so would return people to the condition of war.
Continuing the reading
Read the dedication and the chapters on the passions, then those on the institution of a body politic, and compare their argument with chapters 13 to 18 of Leviathan. Completed in May 1640 and dedicated to William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, it circulated in manuscript during the quarrels over royal power that preceded the Long Parliament. Its two parts were printed separately in 1650 as Human Nature and De Corpore Politico; the first edition under the original title was published by Ferdinand Tönnies in 1889.
Questions to carry into your reading
- Which passions does Hobbes describe through the image of the race, and what do they reveal about the desire for power?
- Why does Hobbes believe that a mixed government cannot keep the peace?
The Elements of Law already contains the core of Hobbes’s politics: the passions make peace fragile, and reason points to a single, undivided authority.
How to read it
Read the dedication and the chapters on the passions, then those on the institution of a body politic, and compare their argument with chapters 13 to 18 of Leviathan.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method →