Hobbes's On the Citizen: A Critical Guide

by Robin Douglass, Johan Olsthoorn

Overview

This is the first book-length study in English of Thomas Hobbes's On the Citizen. It aims to show that On the Citizen is a valuable and distinctive philosophical work in its own right, and not merely a stepping-stone toward the more famous Leviathan. The volume comprises twelve original essays, written by leading Hobbes scholars, which explore the most important themes of the text: Hobbes's accounts of human nature, moral motivation, and political obligation; his theories of property, sovereignty, and the state; and, finally, his ideas on the relation between secular and ecclesiastical authority, and the politics behind his religious ideas. Taken together, the essays bring to light many distinctive aspects of Hobbes's thought that are often concealed by the prevailing focus on Leviathan, making for a richer and more nuanced picture of his moral, legal, and political philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108421980
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/05/2019
Series:	Cambridge Critical Guides
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Robin Douglass is Reader in Political Theory at King's College London.

Johan Olsthoorn is Assistant Professor in Political Theory at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Research Foundation (FWO)-Flanders at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Table of Contents

Introduction Robin Douglass and Johan Olsthoorn; 1. Excavating On the Citizen Deborah Baumgold and Ryan Harding; 2. Hobbes and Aristotle on the foundation of political science Nicholas Gooding and Kinch Hoekstra; 3. All the mind's pleasure: glory, self-admiration, and moral motivation in On the Citizen and Leviathan S. A. Lloyd; 4. The right of nature and political disobedience: Hobbes's puzzling thought experiment Susanne Sreedhar; 5. Motivation, reason, and the good in On the Citizen Michael LeBuffe; 6. Property and despotic sovereignty Laurens van Apeldoorn; 7. Sovereignty and dominium: the foundations of Hobbesian statehood Daniel Lee; 8. Corporate persons without authorization Michael J. Green; 9. Hobbes on love and fear of God Thomas Holden; 10. 'A rhapsody of heresies': the scriptural politics of On the Citizen Alison McQueen; 11. On the Citizen and church-state relations Johann Sommerville; 12. Sovereign-making and biblical covenants in On the Citizen A. P. Martinich.

Editorial Reviews

‘Douglass and Olsthoorn, and the authors they have brought together, have done Hobbes scholars a tremendous service with this excellent collection of essays focussed specifically on Hobbes's De Cive – not as a precursor to Leviathan, but on its own terms.' Arash Abizadeh, McGill University, Montreal

'I recommend it for Hobbes scholars and those interested in early modern political philosophy more broadly. Scholars newer to these discussions will also find many articles worth the investment of their time.' Daniel Collette, Journal of the History of Philosophy

From the Publisher