Thomas Hobbes And the Politics of Natural Philosophy

by Finn, Stephen J.

• ISBN13: 9780826486424
• ISBN10: 0826486428
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-08-04
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

In 1625, Charles I inherited not only his father's crown, but also his desire to run the country without interference from Parliament. But many members of Parliament opposed the King on issues of taxation, religion and the royal prerogative. It was in thi

Table of Contents

Abbreviations for Hobbes's Works	xi
1 Background and Goals	1	(30)
1.0 Introduction	1	(3)
1.1 Scholarly Background	4	(21)
1.1.a Interpretive Approach	5	(5)
1.1.b The Problem of Unity	10	(5)
1.1.c The Political Influence	15	(10)
1.2 Outline of the Chapters	25	(6)
2 The Traditional Interpretation of Influence	31	(35)
2.0 Introduction	31	(2)
2.1 The 'Short Tract': Hobbes's Early Thoughts on Natural Philosophy	33	(3)
2.2 De Corpore: Hobbes's Mature Thoughts on Natural Philosophy	36	(9)
2.2.a Philosophical Method	36	(3)
2.2.b Philosophy of Language and Scientific Demonstration	39	(2)
2.2.c The Science of Motion	41	(1)
2.2.d Geometry and Physics	42	(3)
2.3 The Traditional Interpretation of Influence	45	(2)
2.4 The Influence at Work: Leviathan	47	(12)
2.4.a Hobbes's Philosophy of Mind and Psychology	48	(3)
2.4.b The State of Nature	51	(1)
2.4.c Laws of Nature	52	(3)
2.4.d The Sovereign Power	55	(4)
2.5 Conclusion	59	(7)
3 Hobbes's Political Agenda	66	(33)
3.0 Introduction	66	(1)
3.1 Hobbes's Political Solution: Competing Views	67	(5)
3.2 Hobbes's Early Political Agenda	72	(11)
3.3 Against the Seducers and Demagogues	83	(12)
3.3.a Religious Leaders	84	(5)
3.3.b Aristoleians	89	(4)
3.3.c Common Law Lawyers	93	(2)
3.4 Conclusion	95	(4)
4 The Politics of the Philosophy of Mind	99	(25)
4.0 Introduction	99	(3)
4.1 The Politics of Hobbes's Mechanistic Materialism	102	(7)
4.2 Hobbes's Philosophy of Mind	109	(6)
4.3 The Political Relevance of Hobbes's Philosophy of Mind	115	(5)
4.4 Conclusion	120	(4)
5 The Politics of Language and Truth	124	(26)
5.0 Introduction	124	(2)
5.1 Hobbes's Philosophy of Language: An Overview	126	(8)
5.2 Hobbes's View of Truth	134	(10)
5.2.a The Conventional View of Truth	135	(2)
5.2.b The Correspondence Theory of Truth	137	(7)
5.3 The Political Influence as Explanation	144	(3)
5.4 Conclusion	147	(3)
6 The Politics of Nominalism	150	(17)
6.0 Introduction	150	(1)
6.1 Hobbes's Nominalism	150	(3)
6.2 Inconsistencies in Hobbes's Account of Universals	153	(6)
6.3 The Political Influence as Explanation	159	(6)
6.4 Conclusion	165	(2)
7 The Politics of Reason	167	(15)
7.0 Introduction	167	(1)
7.1 Hobbes's View of Reason and Its Inconsistencies	168	(3)
7.2 The Political Influence as Explanation	171	(3)
7.3 Summary and Possible Alternatives	174	(5)
7.3.a The Traditional View	175	(3)
7.3.b The Development of Thought View	178	(1)
7.4 Conclusion	179	(3)
Bibliography	182	(7)
Index	189