Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Thomas Hobbes: Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) was an English philosopher, considered one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Major works are
Leviathan, or The Matter, Form and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil (1651), De Cive (On the Citizen) (1642), De Corpore (On the Body) (1655), De Homine (On Man) (1658). In his best known work, Leviathan, Hobbes argues that humans are naturally selfish and aggressive, and that a strong central government is necessary to maintain order and protect individual rights._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
| Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
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Otfried Höffe on Hobbes - Dictionary of Arguments
Höffe I 209 Hobbes/Höffe: [For the questions of law and politics] (...) Hobbes gives a task and a pattern of solutions, both of which still shape thinking today. State: The state needs legitimation because of its sovereign character. Höffe I 210 Solution/Hobbes: consists in the idea of the social contract. >Social Contract/Hobbes. Reason: Hobbes defines reason as calculating. Proofs: should be produced according to the ideal of mathematics. Rationalism/Höffe: Hobbes belongs - like Descartes - to rationalism. Höffe I 213 Leviathan: (1651) [is] (...) a true encyclopedia of the philosophical sciences: Leviathan or substance, form and power of an ecclesiastical and civil state (Leviathan or The Matter, Forme & Power of a Common- Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill (1651). From the Latin version of this book, which he himself wrote, and which is often more concise, come the winged words of the war of all against all (bellum omnium contra omnes) and that authority, not truth, makes a law (sed auctoritas, non veritasfacit legem). >State/Hobbes, >Social Contract/Hobbes. Höffe I 215 After-effect/History of Effect: For the general public [Hobbes] is a defender of absolutism, a critic of the political claims of the church, above all a monster of materialism, hedonism and unbelief (...). Höffe I 227 Hobbes' topicality: Utopias/Hobbes/Höffe: Because every community, even a thoroughly just state, contains additional procedural rules, which if necessary go against the declared will of those concerned, the drafting of social utopias that renounce all rule is "natural". Against corresponding utopias of anarchy, of freedom of rule, Hobbes' thought experiment of the >natural state shows that where people follow their striving for happiness completely unhindered, they put precisely this happiness at risk, and therefore prefer to overcome the state of nature. The relevant thought experiment therefore forms the substantive core for the lasting topicality of Hobbes' political thought. Legitimatory individualism: The last instance of legitimation of power is every single person. Democracy binds itself to a social-theoretical individualism. It is said (...) that the human being, although a social being, may not be oppressed, exploited or otherwise sacrificed for the benefit of other people or the community. The point of reference for legitimation is the individual, which is why the corresponding argumentation pattern, in contrast to social-theoretical individualism, is called "legitimatory individualism"._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Höffe I Otfried Höffe Geschichte des politischen Denkens München 2016 |
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