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>>14396
Because his ideas were more the product of witnessing the toxicity of politics, in the run up to, and the rhetoric of, the English civil war. His ideas have to be seen in that context. He wasnt merely publishing a political tract, he was nailing his colours to the mast, so to speak. He was simply stating what he thought the new politics should be about, and by writing it down was also creating a way to explain himself in a court of law if his side failed to win and incase he was prosecuted.
He produced conflicting political positions regarding whether the people consent to be ruled by a monarchy or not. In other words, whether, or not, simply allowing a king to rule implies consent.
His ideas were stale after the civil war and in fact I believe he went overseas to escape possible prosecution during the Civil war. I have always thought Hobbes ideas were merely written to justify his support of the monarchy and to provide a way of arguing his case if Cromwell had wanted to put him on trial
After the civil war his ideas were just old fashioned, debate had moved on