Hobbes and the Social Contract Tradition. Jean HamptonThe Rhetoric of Leviathan: Thomas Hobbes and the Politics of Cultural Transformation. David JohnstonHobbes's Political Theory. Deborah Baumgold

1991 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-122
Author(s):  
Richard Ashcraft
2008 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Dungey

AbstractThomas Hobbes sought a reconstruction of philosophy, ethics, and politics that would end, once and for all, the bitter disputes that led to the English Civil War. This reconstruction begins with the first principles of matter and motion and extends to a unique account of consent and political obligation. Hobbes intended to produce a unified philosophical system linking his materialist account of human nature to his moral and political theory. However, his materialism gives rise to a set of perceptions, imagination, and desires that contribute to the chaos of the state of nature. The sort of person that emerges from Hobbes's materialist anthropology is unlikely to be able to make the necessary agreements about common meaning and language that constitute the ground of the social contract. Therefore, Hobbes's materialism frustrates the very purpose for which it is conceived.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Martinich

Bernard Gert’s distinctive interpretation of the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes in his recent book may be questioned in at least three areas: (1) Even if Hobbes is not a psychological egoist, he seems to be a desire egoist, which has the consequence, as he understands it, that a person acts at least for his own good in every action. (2) Although there are several senses of reason, it seems that Hobbes uses the idea that reason is calculation of means to ends; while such calculation sets intermediate goals, reason itself does not set ultimate ends. (3) Hobbes’s political theory is best understood as a form of social contract theory because subjects covenant among themselves to authorize the sovereign to protect them; authorization has the consequence that subjects give some of the their rights to the sovereign; but this gifting of rights is not the essence of the origin of the civil state.


2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin Taylor

AbstractThomas Hobbes is often credited as the “founder of modern liberalism” for grounding his political theory in individualism, natural right, and the social contract. The irony, of course, is that upon this foundation he built an imposing edifice of absolutism. What has escaped most observers, however, is the extent to which Hobbes' absolutism is mitigated by his own principles, qualifications, and doctrines. Hence, “saving Hobbes from himself,” is not simply a matter of correcting his errors, but requires drawing out the implications of his first principles and identifying the additional supports he provides for an essentially liberal order. In this way it is possible to “bind” Leviathan through a process of internal domestication, as opposed to looking backward to Aristotle or forward to Locke. The result is a “reformed” Hobbes who can be readily acknowledged as “the true ancestor of constitutional liberal democracy.”


1970 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-203
Author(s):  
Jarosław Charchuła

Thomas Hobbes bequeathed to us a comprehensive system, the interpretation of which remains a matter of disagreement even today. In his political theory, he pays most attention to the state community. He deliberates over the reasons for its origin, its decline and fall. Among the more detailed issues dealt within his reflections, the more important ones are the following: the concept of the state of nature, human motivation, the state of war and peace, as well as considerations concerning the social contract. In order to be consistent in his argument, Hobbes also deals with the analysis of the structures of the state, the division of power and with the functions a state should perform. Due to these deliberations, he finally arrives at the secret of the state’s durability. Though it is certainly the case that, since his times, the socio-political situation and circumstances have changed, many of the solutions postulated by Hobbes have not lost their value.


Author(s):  
Mauro Sérgio Santos Da Silva ◽  
Marcio Danelon

*Doutorando em Educação pela Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). E-mail: [email protected]. * Doutor em Filosofia da Educação pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) e professor da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU).  E-mail: [email protected]. Rousseau e o espetáculo do paradoxo Resumo: O presente estudo discute a relação entre política e educação na obra de Jean-Jacques Rousseau a partir de autores que constituem a recepção crítica da obra do filósofo. A propósito, apresenta elementos da vida e da obra do autor genebrino. Expõe eixos fundamentais da ideia de contratualismo ou jusnaturalismo. Discorre acerca das teses de Rousseau atinentes à confluência entre Do Contrato Social (reflexão política) e o Emílio ou da Educação (reflexão educacional). Exibe a ideia de paradoxo da liberdade presente na teoria política de Rousseau. Aponta para os desdobramentos deste paradoxo na reflexão educacional do autor, especialmente nos dois primeiros livros do Emílio, pelo princípio de educação negativa. Palavras-chave: Educação. Liberdade. Paradoxo. Política. Rousseau. Rousseau and the paradox of the spectacle Abstract: The present study discusses the relationship between politics and education in the Jean-Jacques Rousseau’work from authors who constitute the critical reception of this philosopher's work. By the way, show elements of the life and work of the Genevan author. It exposes fundamental axes of the idea of contractualism or jusnaturalism. It discusses Rousseau's theses concerning the confluence between The Social Contract (political reflection) and Emílio or Education (educational reflection). It shows the idea of the paradox of freedom present in Rousseau's political theory. It points to the unfolding of this paradox in the educational reflection of this author, especially in the first two books of the Emílio, by the  negative education’principle. Keywords: Education. Freedom. Paradox. Politics. Rousseau.


Author(s):  
Carlos Lopes

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau emerges as the most compelling and seminal piece of political theory. It explores legitimate political order in the context of classical republicanism. This paper delves into the following questions around Rousseau’s thesis: What would Rousseau make of the contemporary multilateralist surveillance regime, gridlocked in key areas that have direct links with human security? How would he square with a society that seems to be at odds with the nature– society equilibrium that he staunchly advocated for? Will Rousseau be able to lift today’s generation out of the collective myopia that focuses on individualism as the gateway to a prosperous future?


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