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The scandal that first attracted attention when Leviathan first appeared in 1651 was the book's advocacy of an unequivocal materialism with its implication of atheism. Another controversy surrounded its total rejection of the traditional justification for the exercise of political power, namely, the authority of kingship ordained by a deity. Third, in its apparently self-centered hedonism, it was seen as rejecting all traditional ethical codes. In this collection of contemporary responses to Leviathan, attention is focused on its critics - Hobbes had virtually no defenders - who attacked his moral, political, and religious ideas in a blistering series of pamphlets and short books and, in their criticisms, bring out powerfully the importance and originality of Hobbes's theory. ... Read more

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Have you been put off from reading great books because the original ‘Olde English’ makes the going rough? Here you’ll find classic philosophy texts updated and paraphrased into modern English. Learn the key ideas of the great empiricist philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, who framed the course of the modern political state; John Locke, who inspired Thomas Jefferson and the American Revolution and David Hume, Historian, Philosopher, Diplomat and the ultimate Scottish Skeptic. Relax and enjoy the modified writings of these important thinkers by Professor of Philosophy Dr. Les Sutter—without the long, dull introductions and explanations. A real treat! ... Read more

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This book discusses the Aristotelian setting of Thomas Hobbes' main work on natural philosophy, De Corpore (1655). Leijenhorst's study puts particular emphasis on the second part of the work, entitled Philosophia Prima. Although Hobbes presents his mechanistic philosophy of nature as an outright replacement of Aristotelian physics, he continued to use the vocabulary and arguments of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Aristotelianism. Leijenhorst shows that while in some cases this common vocabulary hides profound conceptual innovations, in other cases Hobbes' self-proclaimed "new" philosophy is simply old wine in new sacks. Leijenhorst's book substantially enriches our insight in the complexity of the rise of modern philosophy and the way it struggled with the Aristotelian heritage. ... Read more

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Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is one of the most important figures in the history of European thought. Although interest in his life and work has grown enormously in recent years, this is the first complete edition of his correspondence.The texts of the letters are richly supplemented with explanatory notes and full biographical and bibliographical information. This landmark publication sheds new light on the intellectual life of a major thinker. ... Read more

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InLeviathan, Thomas Hobbes's landmark work on political philosophy, James Martel argues that although Hobbes pays lip service to the superior interpretive authority of the sovereign, he consistently subverts this authority throughout the book by returning it to the reader.

Martel demonstrates that Hobbes's radical method of reading not only undermines his own authority in the text, but, by extension, the authority of the sovereign as well. To make his point, Martel looks closely at Hobbes's understanding of religious and rhetorical representation. InLeviathan, idolatry is not just a matter of worshipping images but also a consequence of bad reading. Hobbes speaks of the "error of separated essences," in which a sign takes precedence over the idea or object it represents, and warns that when the sign is given such agency, it becomes a disembodied fantasy leading to a "kingdom of darkness."

To combat such idolatry, Hobbes offers a method of reading in which one resists the rhetorical manipulation of figures and tropes and recognizes the codes and structures of language for what they are-the only way to convey a fundamental inability to ever know "the thing itself." Making the leap to politics, Martel suggests that following Hobbes's argument, the sovereign can also be seen as idolatrous& mdash;a separated essence& mdash;a figure who supplants the people it purportedly represents, and that learning to be better readers enables us to challenge, if not defeat, the authority of the sovereign.

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Quentin Skinner is one of the foremost historians in the world, and in Hobbes and Republican Liberty he offers a dazzling comparison of two rival theories about the nature of human liberty. The first originated in classical antiquity, and lay at the heart of the Roman republican tradition of public life. Thomas Hobbes was the most formidable enemy of this pattern of thought, and his successive attempts to discredit it constitute a truly epochal moment in the history of Anglophone political thought. Hobbes and Republican Liberty develops several of the themes announced by Quentin Skinner in his celebrated inaugural lecture on Liberty before Liberalism of 1997. Cogent, engaged, accessible, and indeed exhilarating, this new book will appeal to readers of history, politics, and philosophy at all levels from upper-undergraduate upwards, and provides an excellent introduction to the work of one of the most celebrated thinkers of our time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting
This is an interesting extended essay on the development of Hobbes' concept of liberty.The author is the very distinguished intellectual historian Quentin Skinner.This is a nice example of Skinner's contextualism; the study of an idea via a close reading of its text and the surrounding contemporary literature, plus an informed view of contemporary events.Skinner discusses the concept of liberty in Leviathan and in some of Hobbes' earlier works, showing how Hobbes' conception of liberty changed significantly, at least partly in response to the polemics of other writers (most now largely forgotten) and also in response to major events.
Hobbes point of departure was his effort to construct a systematic philosophy based on an atomistic, mechanical view of the universe.His conception of human psychology was highly individualistic, rather bleak, and social bonds were required to protect us from each other.Skinner follows Hobbes' definitions of liberty as based on this mechanical view, eventually freedom from external constraints on movement and not much else. Skinner discusses Hobbes response to Republican theorists and others involved in the controversy about the extent of Royal authority in the events leading to the Civil War.Some of Hobbes' thought appears to have been inspired by minor writers of the time.

Skinner does a nice job of how Hobbes develops a sophisticated analysis of liberty in Leviathan and how Hobbes' arguments are related to contemporary controversies and the events of the Civil War.In particular, Skinner shows how Hobbes attempted to reduce the sting of his rather authoritarian approach, even when he was attacking Republican theorists for their rather naive (to him, at any rate) views of the power of the state and sovereignty.But Skinner shows also how Hobbes reached conclusions quite uncomfortable for conventional defenders of Royal authority.Hobbes' materialistic approach undermines any religious sanction for Royal power, and his emphasis on the crucial role of the state in guaranteeing social safety as the key aspect of legitimacy meant that any effective government, royal or not, could be accepted as legitimate.

This book is written well and as a nice feature, Skinner features the "emblematic" tradition of 17th century rhetoric in which striking visual allegories and images, such as the famous frontispiece of Leviathan, were an integral part of the argument of such works.This leads to the inclusion of quite a few interesting images.

Well Done and Informative for Our Times
Hobbes seems to come in and out of favor. In many ways he is seen as a sycophant to the King in his writings. Skinner uses the comparison of liberty as view in the classic republican sense to that as developed by Hobbes. For Skinner the classic republican liberty is that of the free man, as compared to the slave, one whose actions are limited by a free man. Skinner then takes this concept and draws the line to and through the development of English law.

Skinner develops the liberty theme in Chapter 1 and on pp 34-35 he details some of the strengths and weaknesses of Hobbes and his approach. In reading Skinner one sees more clearly the jumps to faith used by Hobbes, the definitions without any basis in demonstrable fact of evidence that Hobbes uses in his constructions. This is in sharp contrast to Locke who is soon to follow. Specifically on p 35 the discussion of the equality of natural liberty to natural right is worth the reading. Skinner does the concepts justice.

On p 48 Skinner makes some telling comments. For example he states: "Politics, we are being reminded, is pre-eminently the arena in which fortune holds sway" He then continues with the statement: "Hobbes is one of the earliest English philosophers to write in a similar way (as to Aristotle) of "politics" as the art of governing cities."

Chapter 3 details the concept of liberty in the act of living in a real city. On p 79 Skinner states a telling statement: "For Hobbes, accordingly, the puzzle remains; what can it possibly mean when someone claims to be a free man while living under a monarch, in which the fullest rights of sovereignty will inevitably be held by the king himself." This is the quandary of Hobbes. Rather than rejecting the king outright, he struggles to justify liberty on the one hand and the almost divine right of the King. Skinner works elegantly through that tension.

In Chapter 5 Skinner deals with liberty in the context of Hobbes in the Leviathan. On p 127 he details Hobbes as follows defining liberty; "Liberty or freedom, signifieth (properly) the absence of Opposition (by Opposition I mean the Impediments of motion; and may be applied no less in Irrational and Inanimate creatures..."

The last is the culmination of freedom as per Hobbes, the ability of water to flow unstopped down a brook, no more no less. Chapter 6 takes this and carries it through a discussion of liberty and political obligation and finally Chapter 7 moves through the present.

Skinner has done a superb task in detailing Hobbes in an historical context and at the same time detailing the ever present issue of what makes a free man. Hobbes is an apologist for the central authority, in contrast to Locke and the other who follow. The whole basis of our Revolution in the United States was freedom as being free from Government oppression and oversight. Hobbes justifies that alternative view, albeit in a less than convincing manner.
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Hobbes had distinctive views in metaphysics and epistemology, and wrote about such subjects as history, law, and religion.He also produced full-scale treatises in physics, optics, and geometry.All of these areas are covered in this Companion, most in considerable detail. The volume also reflects the multidisciplinary nature of current Hobbes scholarship by drawing together perspectives on Hobbes that are now being developed in parallel by philosophers, historians of science and mathematics, intellectual historians, political scientists, and literary theorists.Amazon.com Review
It is for Leviathan, his controversial work of political philosophy, that Thomas Hobbes is best known, but his interests extended beyond morals and politics to metaphysics and epistemology, physics and geometry, history and law, and biblical interpretation. (Also, he wrote his autobiography at the age of 84--in Latin verse!) Thus the aim of The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes is "to offer a much broader view of Hobbes's intellectual preoccupations than is usually available," and "to bring together the different perspectives on Hobbes that are now being developed in parallel by philosophers, historians of mathematics and science, historians of early modern England, political scientists, and writers of literary studies." It succeeds admirably, rising to a challenge set by the man himself: "It must be extremely hard to find out the opinions and meanings of those men that are gone from us long ago, and have left us no other signification thereof but their books."

The Companion follows the order of Hobbes's own system, working from physics to psychology to politics. His views on psychology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy--traditionally considered the crucial topics of his system--are expertly handled by Bernard Gert, Richard Tuck, and Alan Ryan. Perhaps more gratifying are the essays on less familiar topics: Yves Charles Zarka reveals Hobbes's unexpected commitment to what superficially looks like Aristotelian metaphysics, while Hardy Grant discusses his career in mathematics, a diversion marred by an embarrassing claim to have squared the circle. --Glenn Branch ... Read more

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Clasico de la ciencia politica, hace una penetrante critica de la Iglesia y de la politica: para acabar con el reino de las tinieblas y la supersticion, el nuevo Estado deberia excluir con firmeza todos los defectos organicos del antiguo, y ser netamente racionalista y laico, un verdadero reino de la luz y de la ciencia. ... Read more

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Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. The founding father of modern political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes, living in an era of horrific violence, saw human life as meaningless and cruel; here, he argues the only way to escape this brutality is for all to accept asocial contract' that acknowledges the greater authority of a Sovereign leader. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Thomas Hobbes 'the infamous author of Leviathan' is remembered chiefly for his political philosophy but his contemporaries were more concerned with the moral and materialistic views which formed the basis of his doctrines. He was a notable literary figure of his time, and his powerful and lucid style had its effect on all manner of arguments with his opponents. With Hobbes rationalism came into its own. Mintz, in examining these seventeenth-century reactions to Hobbes, sets him against his intellectual background and so gives an added dimension to his thought. Mintz succeeds in capturing the ideological excitement of the seventeenth-century critics and in reawakening the crucial issues which were at stake. His study has much to offer historians, philosophers and theologians, and anyone with a general interest in the man or his period. ... Read more

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In this major study of the foundations of modern political theory, the eminent political philosopher Ross Harrison explains, analyzes, and criticizes the work of Hobbes, Locke and their contemporaries.He provides a complete account of the turbulent historical background that shaped the political, intellectual and religious content of this philosophy.The book explores the limits of political authority and the relationship of the legitimacy of government to the will of its people in non-technical, accessible prose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Brilliant exposition and critical discussion
This is an excellent explication and critical discussion of the main themes in Hobbes's and Locke's political philosophy.Harrison sets up the intellectual background very well, in terms of such issues as skepticism, natural law, and the problem of political authority, and draws illuminating connections and comparisons with other philosophers such as Grotius and Pufendorf.Harrison usefully brings in other texts by Hobbes and Locke to shed light on the major concepts.His interpretations are convincing and philosophically acute, and get to the heart of the matter.Highly recommended.

Best comparison of Hobbes and Locke I've read
Harrison does a great job of putting Hobbes and Locke into comparative perspective.This makes it easier to understand both philosophers' concept of the state of nature and the social contract.Moreover, the book adds in material about contemporaries such as Filmer, Hooker, and Grotius which places the thought of Hobbes and Locke in the context of the intellectual history of the times.Whatever the merits of Harrison's conclusions, the process of getting there is engaging and enlightening. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

image problems
This book is an edition created from U of Michigan microfilm with a random picture of a snowy mountain on the front which seems to have nothing to do with the book itself.Unfortunately, the image quality varies quite a bit from page to page.Many pages are copied so badly as to be almost illegible.Furthermore, for most of the book every fourth page seems to have a piece of transparent plastic over the top half of the page which distorts it.

A few image problems would have been forgivable, but the consistency and level of bluriness makes this quite a chore to read.The only thing this book really has going for it is that it is pretty cheap, nonetheless I would recommend finding a different edition.I am going to try the 1990 Chicago Univ Press edition, because I trust them to do a better job of quality control. ... Read more

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Nature (the art whereby God hath made and governes the world) is by the art of man, as in many other things, so in this also imitated, that it can make an Artificial Animal. For seeing life is but a motion of Limbs, the begining whereof is in some principall part within; why may we not say, that all Automata (Engines that move themselves by springs and wheeles as doth a watch) have an artificiall life? For what is the Heart, but a Spring; and the Nerves, but so many Strings; and the Joynts, but so many Wheeles, giving motion to the whole Body, such as was intended by the Artificer? Art goes yet further, imitating that Rationall and most excellent worke of Nature, Man. For by Art is created that great LEVIATHAN called a COMMON-WEALTH, or STATE, (in latine CIVITAS) which is but an Artificiall Man; though of greater stature and strength than the Naturall, for whose protection and defence it was intended; and in which, the Soveraignty is an Artificiall Soul, as giving life and motion to the whole body; The Magistrates, and other Officers of Judicature and Execution, artificiall Joynts; Reward and Punishment (by which fastned to the seat of the Soveraignty, every joynt and member is moved to performe his duty) are the Nerves, that do the same in the Body Naturall; The Wealth and Riches of all the particular members, are the Strength; Salus Populi (the Peoples Safety) its Businesse; Counsellors, by whom all things needfull for it to know, are suggested unto it, are the Memory; Equity and Lawes, an artificiall Reason and Will; Concord, Health; Sedition, Sicknesse; and Civill War, Death. Lastly, the Pacts and Covenants, by which the parts of this Body Politique were at first made, set together, and united, resemble that Fiat, or the Let Us Make Man, pronounced by God in the Creation.

To describe the Nature of this Artificiall man, I will consider

First the Matter thereof, and the Artificer; both which is Man.

Secondly, How, and by what Covenants it is made; what are the Rights and just Power or Authority of a Soveraigne; and what it is that Preserveth and Dissolveth it.

Thirdly, what is a Christian Common-Wealth.



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As well as being considered the greatest English political philosopher, Hobbes has traditionally been thought of as a purely secular thinker, highly critical of all religion. In this provocative new study, Professor Martinich argues that conventional wisdom has been misled. In fact, he shows that religious concerns pervade Leviathan and that Hobbes was really intent on providing a rational defense of the Calvinistic Church of England that flourished under the reign of James I.Professor Martinich presents a close reading of Leviathan in which he shows that, for Hobbes, Christian doctrine is not politically destabilizing and is consistent with modern science. ... Read more

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This is the first volume of the "Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers". "Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers" provides comprehensive accounts of the works of seminal conservative thinkers from a variety of periods, disciplines and traditions - the first series of its kind. Even the selection of thinkers adds another aspect to conservative thinking, including not only theorists but also thinkers in literary forms and those who are also practitioners. The series comprises twenty volumes, each including an intellectual biography, historical context, critical exposition of the thinker's work, reception and influence, contemporary relevance, bibliography including references to electronic resources and an index. ... Read more