Hobbes: On the Citizen (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) [Paperback]

Thomas Hobbes (Author), Richard Tuck (Editor), Michael Silverthorne (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521437806 | ISBN-13: 978-0521437806 | Publication Date: August 28, 1998

De Cive (On the Citizen) is the first full exposition of the political thought of Thomas Hobbes, the greatest English political philosopher of all time. Professors Tuck and Silverthorne have undertaken the first complete translation since 1651, a rendition long thought (in error) to be at least sanctioned by Hobbes himself. On the Citizen is written in a clear, straightforward, expository style, offering students a more digestible account of Hobbes' political thought than even Leviathan itself. This new translation is itself a very significant scholarly event.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This new translation will thus be welcomed not only by Hobbes scholars, but by all readers interested in a compact and explicit statement of Hobbes's political ideas. This book, in sum, one would be happy to recommend, not only to a scholarly audience but to a more general readership. Silverthorne's translation...allows the full simplicity and power ofHobbes's political ideas come to life." Sixteenth Century Journal

"The present volume, in the excellent series Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought, provodes a much better translation, along with a scholarly introduction and notes and a useful discussion of key terms in Hobbes's theory. It deserves a wide readership. In these days, when undergraduates increasingly find Leviathan too long and its languge too hard, there is an argument for assigning them this volume instead." Ethics

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521437806
• ISBN-13: 978-0521437806
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Modern Political Philosopher, August 8, 2006

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Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobbes: On the Citizen (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) (Paperback)

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote "Leviathan" in 1651, it was his most important philosophical work. I think you should know something of Hobbes to understand how his thinking was influenced by his experiences. He was born 2 months prematurely on the day the Spanish Armada approaches the English coast. His mother's fear of invasion caused the premature birth. Hobbes remarked late in life, "his mother brought forth twins-myself and fear." Fear seems to be Hobbes life long companion and the key passion in his political system, which uses human passions as its foundation. He was a child prodigy reading Latin and Greek at the age of six years old. At fifteen, he entered Oxford University and hated his educational experience there. He thought the curriculum was too immersed in the ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle. He called them "erroneous doctrines," and throughout his life he railed against English universities for there stodgy curriculum.

At the age of 22, he graduates and takes a job to tutor the son of the Earl of Devonshire. It gives him the opportunity to travel throughout Europe where he meets with Galileo in Florence and Descartes in Paris. Descartes calls Hobbes the greatest political philosopher of his day. During the British civil war, Hobbes flees to Paris because he is a well-known monarchist sympathizer. In 1651, he publishes his monumental work "Leviathan." He returns to England, submits to Cromwell's government, and withdraws from politics. He is on friendly terms with Charles II when the Stuart's are restored to the throne.

Hobbes philosophy is "materialistic"; he is greatly influenced by Galileo's mechanistic approach to science, and Euclidian geometry. His ambition was to explain all phenomena, man, and government with mathematical precision. In "Leviathan," he explains human conduct is a product of human passions. The most dominant passions are fear of violent death and desire for power, both are manifestations of man's most basic impulse, "self preservation." Hobbes asserts that the basic impulse is the right of the individual; he calls it a "natural right." All men process this natural right equally. This theory leads Hobbes to believe man's natural state to be one of constant conflict with each other. This leads him to write the following quote he is most known for: "men's lives are solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." So as not to have to live in constant state of fear or conflict, men make a contract for protection with the state. Hobbes believes that the best state is one led by a single sovereign whose power must be unrestricted with all three branches of government devolving to him. A single sovereign who has absolute power and cannot be replaced by the people.

His political writing had immediate influence in the world and influences other philosophers like Spinoza, Hutcheson, Locke, and Hume. Hobbes is the first man to write about political philosophy in such methodical terms. He is an excellent writer and his theories are easy to understand by the laymen. As a graduate student of political philosophy, I recommend if you have an interest in politics, philosophy, or government then you must start with reading Hobbes "Leviathan."