Hobbes (Past Masters) [Paperback]

Richard Tuck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192876686 | ISBN-13: 978-0192876683 | Publication Date: July 6, 1989

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1659) was one of the first great English political philosophers and his book "Leviathan" was one of the first truly modern works of philosophy. He has long had the reputation of being a pessimistic atheist, who claimed that human nature was inevitably evil and who proposed a totalitarian state to subdue human failings. In this study, Richard Tuck shows that while Hobbes may have been an atheist, he was far from pessimistic about human nature, nor did he advocate totalitarianism. By setting him in the context of his age, Dr Tuck reveals Hobbes to have been passionately concerned with the refutation of scepticism in both science and ethics, and to have developed a theory of knowledge which rivalled that of Descartes in its importance for the formation of modern philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Review from previous edition "lucid introduction to the first great English political philosopher."--The Times

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Richard Tuck is Professor of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of Natural Rights Theories (1979) and Philosophy and Government 1572-1651 (1993), and has produced editions of Hobbes's Leviathan and (with Michael Silverthorne) De Cive.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 6, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192876686
• ISBN-13: 978-0192876683
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,776,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to Hobbes written with clarity and grace, April 6, 2000

By 

Richard L. King - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hobbes (Past Masters) (Paperback)

When I read British philosophy as an undergraduate, I skimmed over Hobbes and focused primarily on Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. It was not until recently that I realized the importance of Hobbes's political thought. Therefore, I decided to read Hobbes's "Leviathan." Having previously discovered the outstanding little books in the "Past Masters" series published by the Oxford University Press, I first looked to see if the series included a title on Hobbes, and I found Tuck's book, which I read before reading "Leviathan." Tuck's "Hobbes" provided me with a good foundation for reading "Leviathan," and Tuck greatly increased my appreciation for Hobbes. Tuck is particularly careful to describe not only Hobbes's political philosophy; he also provides an introduction to Hobbes's thought regarding religion, science, ethics, and philosophical method. By gaining an overall picture of Hobbes's thought, I came to appreciate Tuck's claim that "Hobbes created English-language philosophy." I recommend this book to anyone approaching Hobbes for the first time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate but less than lucid, January 23, 2006

By 

C. MOZEE-BAUM (California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an extremely important English philosopher, best known for his political philosophy, especially as found in the work "Leviathan".

Richard Tuck's overview of Hobbes does an adequate job of summarizing the views of this important philosopher; however, the book at times feels a little bit too detail-oriented, often at the expense of forming a more clear picture of Hobbes's philosophy as a whole. One particularly confusing discussion involves Hobbes's ideas about the difference between a "natural right" and a "natural law".

The three main sections of the book focus on Hobbes's life, Hobbes's work, and later interpretations of Hobbes. Perhaps this last section is the most fascinating; we find, for example, Hobbes political theory in modern times being analyzed within the idiom of "game theory".

Tuck is clearly an expert and knows what he's talking about, but his book might be pitched just a bit over the head of a true beginner to the study of Hobbes or philosophy in general.

All in all this is a decent work - but it occasionally becomes over-academic at the expense of clarity... and in a work of this sort, clarity is a priceless asset.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An authoritative introduction to the first great English political philosopher, August 12, 2007

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

The author starts by telling us "Hobbes created English-language philosophy". Really? What of Francis Bacon, to whom Hobbes once acted as amanuensis? Poor Bacon does get a brief, grudging mention later on. The description in the blurb of Hobbes as "the first great English political philosopher" is probably more accurate. Certainly he is important, in a broad Western context. He was central to the transition from medieval to modern thought, and was a strong influence on Rousseau and others. Tuck is an expert guide (despite his inexplicable slighting of Bacon) and his style is very readable. This introduction covers Hobbes's life, works and intellectual legacy. Reliable and informative, it is highly recommended as an introduction to, and summary of, Hobbes's ideas, but to better appreciate the context, you might want to read (dare I say it?) Bacon's Essays first.