Hobbes

by John Dunn, Ian Harris

Overview

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is best known for his development of the concept of sovereignty, which was treated most clearly in his great work, Leviathan.

Whilst Hobbes was not the first theorist of sovereignty, he remains perhaps the most thorough exponent of the concept. His accounts of morality and religion, as well as of government, are set out in a way that precludes legitimate challenge to the sovereign's authority: and the soovereign, whether monarchical or republican or parliamentary, was taken by Hobbes to be fundamental to civil life.

Much of the literature on Hobbes has been devoted to his work on sovereignty. However, this does not exhaust the interest of Hobbes' thought, and recent scholars have also investigated such topics as his conception of historiography, his natural philosophy and his account of religion, and considered how these relate to his political thought. The articles selected in these three volumes reflect these concerns and offer an exploration of Hobbes' political philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781858981048
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	11/18/1997
Series:	Great Political Thinkers series , #8
Pages:	1864
Product dimensions:	6.62(w) x 9.62(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edited by John Dunn, Fellow, Kings College and Professor of Political Theory, University of Cambridge, UK and Ian Harris, Department of Politics, University of Leicester, UK

Editorial Reviews

A collection of 76 articles and excerpts published over nearly 100 years<-->1892 through 1994. The articles represent major schools of thought, covering "Leviathan" and Hobbes' compelling vision of sovereignty, as well as his views on religion and rhetoric. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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