Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• Moral and political philosopher
• Theorist of absolute rule, the disintegration of social and political order.
• Author of The Leviathan (1651) and The Behemoth (1668; published in 1681 posthumously)
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)
• Political and military leader of Parliamentary forces against Charles I
• Limited measures for religious toleration
• Conflicts with Scotland and Ireland
• Opposition to his rule: Levellers, Diggers, Quakers, Fifth Monarchy Men
• Lord Protector (1653-1658) -- martial law and puritanical rule
• Restoration of the monarchy, 1660
John Locke (1632-1704)
• English social and political philosopher
• Author of Two Treatises of Government (1680) and A Letter Concerning Toleration (1685)
• Major intellectual contributions to Western Civilization:
* argument for the separation of church and state
* concept of “civil society”
* subjective understanding of religious faith