Hobbes, Thomas

English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes was born on Good Friday, April 5, 1588, in the northwestern part of Malmesbury, in north Wiltshire, England. His father was an ill-educated clergyman, and his mother came from a simple peasant family. Thomas Hobbes was formed as a philosopher in the first half of the 17th century, the time of the growth of modern science and philosophical skepticism. He is considered the founding father of modern political philosophy. Thanks to his prosperous uncle, he entered Magdalen Hall in Oxford at the age of 13, where he spent five years mastering his knowledge in Greek, Latin, and philosophy. After completing his degree, Hobbes was hired as a tutor by William Cavendish, later earl of Devonshire, one of the ...