Images of Anarchy: The Natural Condition of Mankind in Political Thought and Discourse

FAIN: FT-55610-08

Ioannis D. Evrigenis
Tufts University (Somerville, MA 02144-2401)

Any reasonable individual would seek an alternative to a life that is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Such was Hobbes's simple yet ingenious solution to the problem of consensus--an absolute evil, rather than an elusive absolute good--and such was the birth of the "state of nature." Hobbes's concept of the natural condition of mankind became a point of reference for subsequent political thought, shaping the thought of emulators and critics alike, and has had a profound impact on our approach to understanding human nature, conflict, and international relations. Drawing on political science, history, philosophy, and the history of political thought, this book will trace the origin and development of the concept of the state of nature, and consider its impact on contemporary debates on human nature and sovereignty. During July and August 2008, I would like to conduct a final round of library and archival research in the United Kingdom.

Associated Products

Images of Anarchy: THe Rhetoric and Science in Hobbes's State of Nature (Book)
Title: Images of Anarchy: THe Rhetoric and Science in Hobbes's State of Nature
Author: Ioannis D. Evrigenis
Abstract: Hobbes's concept of the natural condition of mankind became an inescapable point of reference for subsequent political thought, shaping the theories of emulators and critics alike, and has had a profound impact on our understanding of human nature, anarchy, and international relations. Yet, despite Hobbes's insistence on precision, the state of nature is an elusive concept. Has it ever existed and, if so, for whom? Hobbes offered several answers to these questions, which taken together reveal a consistent strategy aimed at providing his readers with a possible, probable, and memorable account of the consequences of disobedience. This book examines the development of this powerful image throughout Hobbes's works, and traces its origins in his sources of inspiration. The resulting trajectory of the state of nature illuminates the ways in which Hobbes employed a rhetoric of science and a science of rhetoric in his relentless pursuit of peace.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-theory/images-anarchy-rhetoric-and-science-hobbess-state-nature?format=PB#vMCD6hmLCzI8RtJ0.97
Secondary URL: http://www.cambridge.org/9780521513722
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780521513722
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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