This introduction introduces Hobbes' main doctrines and arguments, covering
all of Hobbes' philosophy.Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was the first great English philosopher and one
of the most important theorists of human nature and politics in the history of
Western thought. This superlative introduction introduces Hobbes' main
doctrines and arguments, covering all of Hobbes' philosophy. A.P. Martinich
begins with a helpful overview of Hobbes' life and work, setting his ideas
against the political and scientific background of seventeenth-century England.
He then introduces and assesses, in clear chapters, Hobbes' contributions to
fundamental areas of philosophy: * epistemology and metaphysics, in particular
Hobbes' materialism and determinism and his relation to Descartes * ethics and
political philosophy, concentrating on Hobbes' most famous work, "Leviathan,"
and the theory of the social contract it advances * philosophy of science,
logic and language, considering Hobbes' theory of nominalism and his writing on
rhetoric and the uses of language; * religion, examining Hobbes' analyses of
revelation, prophets and miracles. The final chapter considers the legacy of
Hobbes' thought and his influence on contemporary philosophy.; Additional features: * chapter summaries * annotated further reading.
