Hobbes: A Biography [Hardcover]

A. P. Martinich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0521495830 | ISBN-13: 978-0521495837

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is now recognized as one of the fathers of modern philosophy and political theory. In his own time he was as famous for his work in physics, geometry, and religion. He associated with some of the greatest writers, scientists, and politicians of his age including Ben Jonson, Galileo and King Charles II. A. P. Martinich has written the most complete and accessible biography of Hobbes available. The book takes full account of the historical and cultural context in which Hobbes lived, drawing on both published and unpublished sources. It will be a great resource for philosophers, political theorists, and historians of ideas. The clear, crisp prose style will also ensure that the book appeals to general readers with an interest in the history of philosophy, the rise of modern science, and the English Civil War. A. P. Martinich is a Professor of Philosophy and the author or editor of nine books, including The Philosophy of Language (1996), Philosophical Writing (1997), and The Two Gods of Leviathan (Cambridge University Press, 1992).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hobbes's position as one of the founders and leading theorists of modern political philosophy has been established for some time. His connections with leading thinkers of his day, as well as his investigations in such fields as mathematics, physics, and religion, have placed him in the forefront of modern philosophy. Martinich's biography, one of the most accessible and thoroughly researched of recent years, delves into the motivations behind Hobbes's ideas, the events and people that influenced him, and the significance of his ideas for contemporary thought. At the same time, it shows him to have been a far wider-ranging thinker than may previously have been realized. Martinich's writing style is clear, and his exposition of Hobbes's thought is well within the reach of most readers, even those who do not have an extensive grounding in political theory or philosophy. Written by a Hobbes expert (e.g., A Hobbes Dictionary, Blackwell, 1995), this biography should serve most libraries well and should certainly be a part of any political theory or political philosophy collection.?Terry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A scholar's biography, this book will become a standard work for students of Hobbes (15881679). Martinich (Philosophy/Univ. of Texas, Austin) offers a mixture of personal and intellectual biography situating Hobbes in historical context as well as examining his philosophy. The presentation is chronological, with brief analytical detours to explore texts; Leviathan receives attention, of course, but also Hobbes's lesser-known and especially his earlier writings. Disagreements among scholars are noted throughout regarding not only interpretation of Hobbes's thought, but also details of his life. Basic factse.g., Hobbes's whereabouts at particular points in time or his relations with friends and other intellectuals of the daycannot always be established unambiguously, and Martinich identifies these cases and defends his opinion. The result is a catalogue of current thinking on Hobbes's life, a valuable tool for historians as well as philosophers. This intellectual tour de force may not appeal to a popular audience, but it is leavened with occasional glimpses of a dry wit. For example, after describing Hobbes's monotonous report on a tour of the continent with the young William Cavendish, Martinich notes that William's father ``was fortunate that Hobbes could not take photographic slides to be shown in the living room.'' We also see Hobbes's personality in these pages, and apparently he is as cranky and self-impressed as you would expect from his writings. His inability to gain admission into the Royal Society, for example, stemmed not only from scientific disagreements, but also the perception by some members that he would be a ``bore.'' While ``a witty and engaging conversationalist'' on occasion, his belief in absolute sovereignty was matched by a belief in the absolute truth of his own philosophy, a quality few could find endearing. Yet there is an intriguing unconventionality to the man: anyone whose daily routine includes singing to himself because he believes it contributes to good health can't be all bad. A detailed and substantial work. (16 b&w photos) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521495830
• ISBN-13: 978-0521495837
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,606,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Close to the Standard Edition As It Gets, February 28, 2003

By 

Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobbes: A Biography (Hardcover)

One, if not the first, in a series of biographies of European philosophers by Cambridge University Press, this volume more than holds its own and is bound to becomne the standard text on the life of Thomas Hobbes.

Deftly written and extremely well researched, this is a volume not only for the scholar of English philosophy or history, but for the well-read layman as well. Martinich presents his subject chronologically, as any good biography should, with brief stopovers for analysis of each Hobbes text both philosophically and within the historical context against which it was written. Martinich is most unusual in that he does not take his own words as the last ones on the subject; there are pages on his disagreements with other writers on interpretations of both the life and thought of Hobbes, which makes this volume both unusual and valuable to any understanding of its subject.

Pricey, but strongly recommended, especially if one has any of the other volumes in the Cambridge series. If possible, wait for the paperback . . . but not too long, for there is much about Hobbes one will miss.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY OF HOBBES, November 10, 2009

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Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobbes: A Biography (Paperback)

A.P. Martinich is an analytic philosopher who has an emphasis on the history of political thought, and he is the author of this great biography.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher, most remembered today for his seminal work of political philosophy, Leviathan: With Selected Variants from the Latin Edition of 1668. Hobbes served as a secretary to Francis Bacon for some time, and Martinich notes, "Not even his friends liked Bacon."

Martinich observes that "Although he would sharpen the argumentation and improve the presentation in later works, Hobbes adhered for the rest of his life to the basic positions presented in his first political treatise." (The Elements of Law, Natural and Politic: To Which Are Subjoined Selected Extracts from Unprinted Mss. of Thomas Hobbes). Martinich later adds that "All or almost all of the central points of Leviathan had been made by Hobbes in early books and manuscripts."

Martinich's own comments are always pertinent: e.g., "His doctrine was Calvinism without original sin." "Hobbes never lost an adolescent delight of shocking the intellectual establishment."

Hobbes was the founder of biblical criticism, and "Hobbes was the first person to argue in print that Moses was not the author of most of the Pentateuch." About Hobbes' attempt to reconcile science and religion, Martinich notes, "He failed, but I do not know of anyone who has succeeded."

This is the finest study of Hobbes' life we are ever likely to see.