Leviathan vs Two Treatises on Government: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Politics, Political science, Open_syllabus_project, Early works to 1800, Essays, Philosophy
Leviathan
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Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, from 1651, is one of the first and most influential arguments towards social contract. Written in the midst of the English Civil War, it concerns the structure of government and society and…
Two Treatises on Government
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The “Two Treatises of Government” is about the former false principles and foundation of sir Robert Filmer and his followers. They are detected and overthrown. The latter is an essay concerning the true original extent…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Leviathan is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Two Treatises on Government.
- Leviathan has the widest readership — 54811 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Leviathan | Two Treatises on Government | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (54811) | — |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (10) | — |
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Reception
| Leviathan | Two Treatises on Government | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 54811 | 4 |
| Editions | 99 | 112 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 112826 | — |
| Reading it now | 4765 | — |
| Written reviews | 1675 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 67796 | 5236 |
| Pages | 299 | 422 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Leviathan or Two Treatises on Government?
Two Treatises on Government has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Two Treatises on Government 3.9/5, Leviathan 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Leviathan or Two Treatises on Government?
Leviathan is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Leviathan (299 pages, ≈ 5 h 32 m); Two Treatises on Government (422 pages, ≈ 7 h 49 m).
Which is harder to read: Leviathan or Two Treatises on Government?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Leviathan: Demanding; Two Treatises on Government: Demanding.