The Political Philosophy of Hobbes: Its Basis and Its Genesis (Phoenix Books)

The Political Philosophy of Hobbes: Its Basis and Its Genesis (Phoenix Books)

Leo Strauss

Language: English

Pages: 190

ISBN: 0226776964

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


In this classic analysis, Leo Strauss pinpoints what is original and innovative in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. He argues that Hobbes's ideas arose not from tradition or science but from his own deep knowledge and experience of human nature. Tracing the development of Hobbes's moral doctrine from his early writings to his major work The Leviathan, Strauss explains contradictions in the body of Hobbes's work and discovers startling connections between Hobbes and the thought of Plato, Thucydides, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, and Hegel.

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Nesse of courage, (rarely found,) by which a man scorns to be beholding for the contentment of his life, to fraud, or breach of promise.' ' . . . there are in mans nature, but two imaginable helps to strengthen (the force of words). And those are either a Feare of the consequence of breaking their word ; or a Glory, � :J' I It is true that in the Leviathan, ch. 14 (p. 6S), Hobbes says in passing that in the state of nature 'nothi"g can be unjust', but he means by this 'no action can be.

100. Elements, P t . I, ch. ' 9, § 2. 3 Elyot says : ' . . . nowe I remembre me, this worde Magnanimitie beinge yet straunge, as late borrowed out of the latyne, shall nat content all men. . . . I will adventure to put for Magnanimitie a warde more familiar, callynge it good courage . . .' Sir Thomas Hoby in his translation of the Cortegiallo renders 'magnanimita' by 'noblenesse of couragc' and 'stoutnesse of couragc'. 4 For Cicero (De officiis, i. 20 if.) forlitudo ammi and magnitudo animi are.

To Professor N. F. Hall, and to Mr. E. J. Passant for the help and encouragement they have given me. ditionally attributed to 'Lord Chandos' or to 'Lord Candish, after Earle of Devonshire'. The latter attribution is borne out by the discovery of the manuscript version signed by W. Cavendish, and the former may well be derived from a misreading of 'Candish' as 'Chandos'. W. Cavendish might stand, of course, for any Earl of Devonshire, since they were all named William ; but the possibilities are.

7, art. 13 and cap. 1 8, art. 6, annot . ; LC�'i(/th(lIt, eh. 43 (p. 326) and eh. 38 (p. 243). 4 Elr.mmts, Pt. I I , ch. 6, § 1 4 ; Dc cit'e, cap. 18, art. 1 3 ; Leviathan, ch. 43 '(pp. 270-2) and ch. 43 (p. 3z8). I THE STATE AND RELIGION 73 not of earth but of heaven ; in the Le'IJiathall, on the other hand, the Kingdom of God under the Old and also under the New Covenant is to be understood as a purely earthly kingdom. 1 According to the Elements, the first duty of the sovereign is ' to.

Political philo­ sophy builds up. Moreover,:man with his passions and his self­ seeking is the particular subject of political philosophy, and n 0 poses' by every kind of hypocrisy the self-knowledge on w,h' the proof of these norms rests.�:: '\ ����ng to Hopbes, .political philosophy is not only i�de­ pendent of natural science, but it is a main component of hum�n knowledge, . of which the other main component is natural science. The whole body of knowledg71s divided into natural science o� the.

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