'''Thomas Hobbes''' (1588-1679) was an English philosopher notable as one of the founders of [[social contract]] theory, and a forerunner of [[British empiricism]]. As a [[materialism|materialist]], his concept of human existence excluded the [[soul]], with the [[mind]] being given a purely mechanical explanation. He was widely rumoured during his lifetime to be an atheist. | '''Thomas Hobbes''' (1588-1679) was an English philosopher notable as one of the founders of [[social contract]] theory, and a forerunner of [[British empiricism]]. As a [[materialism|materialist]], his concept of human existence excluded the [[soul]], with the [[mind]] being given a purely mechanical explanation. He was widely rumoured during his lifetime to be an atheist. |