ThomasHobbes

Pre-reading

ThomasHobbes (1588-1679) wasoneofthegreatestEnglishphilosophersandpoliticaltheorists, , wherehelearntacontemptforthephilosophyofPlatoand, especially, , hejoinedthefamilyoftheEarls(laterDukes) ofDevonshireasatutorandtraveledwithhispupilinEurope, whereheengagedGalileoinphilosophicaldiscussionsonthenatureofmotion.

Helaterturnedtopoliticaltheory, buthissupportforabsolutismputhimatoddswiththerisingantiroyalistsentimentofthetime.HefledtoParisin1640, wherehetutoredthefutureKingCharles Ⅱ -knownwork, Leviathan(1651), “StateofNature”, andthattoavoidthathorrificcondition, wherelifewas “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, andshort”, andmenmustcontracttoestablishasovereignpowerwithsufficientauthoritytoenforcelawsandmaintainorder.

HobbesreturnedtoBritainin1651afterthedeathofCharles Ⅰ..

PromptsforYourReading

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[1] Itistruethatcertainlivingcreatures, asbeesandants, livesociablyonewithanother (whicharethereforebyAristotle2numberedamongstpoliticalcreatures), andyethavenootherdirectionthantheirparticularjudgmentsandappetites; norspeech, wherebyoneofthemcansignifytoanotherwhathethinksexpedientforthecommonbenefit: :

[2] Firstly, thatmenarecontinuallyincompetitionforhonoranddignity, whichthesecreaturesarenot; andconsequentlyamongstmentherearisethonthatground, envy, andhatred, andfinallywar; butamongstthesenotso.