In this episode of The Vancrux Podcast, we dive deep into the life and philosophy of Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), the English thinker who forever changed how we view human nature, society, and power. Born prematurely and abandoned by his father, Hobbes grew up with a keen awareness of vulnerability and the precariousness of life. This early exposure to uncertainty would shape his view of humanity as inherently self-interested, competitive, and in need of guidance.

You’ll journey with Hobbes from his education at Oxford, through his European travels, and into the intellectual circles of Galileo, Bacon, and Descartes, where he was inspired by the emerging deterministic science of motion and the certainty of mathematics. These influences led him to see the universe — and human beings — as mechanical sys ...