Thomas Hobbes and Political Theory

This volume explores, from a variety of perspectives, the political theory of the man who is arguably the greatest English political thinker. It is the first substantial collection of new, critical essays on Thomas Hobbes by leading scholars in over a decade.

Hobbes's writings stirred debate in his own lifetime, for two centuries thereafter, and continue to do so in ours. They emerged in a period of intense political turmoil--a time of civil war and regicide, of puritanical rule and royal restoration. "They were motivated," Dietz argues, "by concrete political problems and a practical concern--namely, to secure political order, absolute sovereignty, and civil peace." The contributors emphasize and answer a series of expressly political questions that, to date, have not been fully addressed in the Hobbes literature. They contend that Hobbes's writings are not mere static artifacts of a particular historical milieu, but rather rich sources of a variety of interpretations and criticisms that spur discussion and debate in their turn.

Contents:

Mary G. Dietz Introduction

Sheldon S. Wolin (Cornell University) Hobbes and the Culture of Despotism

David Johnston (Columbia University) Plato, Hobbes, and the Science of Practical Reasoning

Gordon J. Schochet (Rutgers University) Intending (Political) Obligation: Hobbes and the Voluntary Basis of Society

Deborah Baumgold (University of Oregon) Hobbes's Political Sensibility: The Menace of Political Ambition

Mary G. Dietz Hobbes's Subject as Citizen

Stephen Holmes (University of Chicago) Political Psychology in Hobbes's Behemoth

Richard Tuck (Jesus College, Cambridge) Hobbes and Locke on Toleration

James Farr (University of Minnesota) Atomes of Scripture: Hobbes and the Politics of Biblical Interpretation

"This is a fine collection of critical essays that provide illuminating and novel interpretations of Hobbes. . . . It is a timely and very stimulating book . . . that will be useful to political scientists, historians, and philosophers."--Jeffrey Isaac, author of The Power of Marxist Theory: A Realist View

MARY DIETZ has taught political theory at the University of Minnesota since 1982. She is the author of Between the Human and the Divine: The Political Thought of Simone Weil.