Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like Leviathan
The best books like Leviathan are The Republic, The Prince, and The Social Contract. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is about political authority, social contract, human nature. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- The Republic
01
Plato · Philosophy
The Republic is Plato's most ambitious work, a sustained inquiry into the nature of justice staged as a dialogue among Socrates and his companions in Athens.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - The Prince
02
Niccolò Machiavelli · Philosophy
The Prince is Machiavelli's short treatise on how to acquire, hold, and exercise political power.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - The Social Contract
03
Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Philosophy
The Social Contract opens with one of philosophy's most famous sentences: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Rousseau's 1762 treatise sets out to explain how political authority can be legitimate rather than merely imposed by force.
Both dig into sovereignty.
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- The Communist Manifesto
04
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels · History
Published in 1848 on the eve of a wave of European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a short political pamphlet that has shaped more history than almost any other document of its length.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - A Theory of Justice
05
John Rawls · Philosophy
A Theory of Justice, published in 1971, is John Rawls's attempt to construct a systematic alternative to utilitarianism in political philosophy.
Both dig into social contract.
Read the summary → - Existentialism Is a Humanism
06
Jean-Paul Sartre · Philosophy
Existentialism Is a Humanism began as a 1945 lecture Sartre gave to a packed Paris hall in response to critics who called existentialism pessimistic, quietist, and dangerous.
Both dig into human nature.
Read the summary → - Mere Christianity
07
C. S. Lewis · Philosophy
Mere Christianity began as a series of BBC radio broadcasts Lewis gave during World War II, and the book retains that quality of direct, informal address.
Both dig into human nature.
Read the summary → - On Liberty
08
John Stuart Mill · Philosophy
On Liberty, published in 1859, is John Stuart Mill's defense of individual freedom against both governmental coercion and social pressure.
Both dig into political authority.
Read the summary → - The Abolition of Man
09
C. S. Lewis · Philosophy
The Abolition of Man is a short book Lewis published in 1943, adapted from three lectures he gave at the University of Durham.
Both dig into human nature.
Read the summary → - The Bed of Procrustes
10
Nassim Nicholas Taleb · Philosophy
The Bed of Procrustes is Nassim Nicholas Taleb's collection of philosophical aphorisms, the third volume in his Incerto series following Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan.
Both dig into human nature.
Read the summary → - The Divine Comedy: Inferno
11
Dante Alighieri · Philosophy
The Inferno is the first of three canticles in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, written between approximately 1308 and 1320.
Both dig into human nature.
Read the summary → - The Little Prince
12
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry · Philosophy
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince in New York in 1942, in exile from a France under occupation, and the book was published in French and English simultaneously in 1943, the year before he disappeared on a reconnaissance flight.
Both dig into human nature.
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Books like Leviathan: quick answers
What are the best books like Leviathan?
The best books like Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes are The Republic by Plato, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Leviathan, such as political authority, social contract, human nature.
What should I read after Leviathan?
A natural next read after Leviathan is The Republic by Plato. A kindred philosophy read. Other strong choices are The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
What books are similar to Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes?
Leviathan centers on political authority, social contract, human nature. Books with a similar feel include The Republic by Plato, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
