Aspects of Hobbes

Malcolm, Noel

doi:10.1093/0199247145.001.0001

Cited by 498 publications

(60 citation statements)

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“…22 Cf. Leviathan, XXXIII; at this point see Malcolm (2002) and. See also Bernier (2010). exercise -in the present -a coercive power derived from the Father, Christ always talks about a political reign that will begin only with his second coming, or rather, after and beyond human history.…”

Section: The Hobbesian Interpretation Of the Holy Scripturesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Hobbes and Sacred History: Two Political Covenants and a Covenant for Salvation

Schino¹

2017

JCRS

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Hobbes asserts that political power no longer needs to be founded on religious charisma (as argued by Machiavellians and libertines), because this power can be justified only by covenant, that is by the consent of people deciding voluntarily, on the basis of an utilitaristic calculation of benefits, to subject themselves to a sovereign. In the sections of Elements of law natural and politic, De cive and Leviathan dedicated to religion, Hobbes demonstrates that the sacred history corroborates his political theory. He uses skilfully chosen literal quotations to demonstrate that the power of Abraham and Moses, who ruled over their people as divine lieutenants, and even that of Yahweh as king of Israel, were based on a special covenant. In Hobbes's reading, the figures of Moses and Christ no longer proceed as a pair, as in the cliché of the religious imposture theory: the figure of the prophet Moses is strongly politicised, whereas Christ makes no new laws to administer earthly justice, but teaches the way of salvation. Religion loses the political centrality of a founding element of human society and is referred to an individual, internal and psychological dimension.Keywords: Hobbes, causes of religion, sacred history, unity of religious and civil power, religious imposture theory The Causes of ReligionsReligion and sacred history occupy the central space in the writings of those free thinkers of the 17th century who, from René Pintard onwards, have been identified as «erudite libertines» 1 . These authors -such as François La Mothe Le Vayer, Gabriel Naudé, Hector Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, Pierre Gassendi, or the anonymous compiler of the clandestine treatise Theophrastus redivivus -, heirs to the naturalism of Pietro Pomponazzi and the political theories of Niccolò Machiavelli, present religion under two aspects: as a product of the passions and credulity of man, and as a utilisation of this product by astute politicians that have deceived men in order to build new societies and empires on a solid base 2 . The phenomenology of religion delineated by the libertine critique starts from an attentive analysis of belief-formation mechanisms, makes interesting references to mass psychology and reformulates the Averroistic and Renaissance idea of religion as imposture and instrumentum Regni. What it constantly reconfirms is the essentially practical, non-theoretical dimension of historic religions, serving as educators of peoples about good conduct and born to satisfy a need for order and stability.

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Section: The Hobbesian Interpretation Of the Holy Scripturesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Hobbes and Sacred History: Two Political Covenants and a Covenant for Salvation

Schino¹

2017

JCRS

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“…Also, Malcolm considers that "Descartes' philosophy was more an irritant than a stimulant to Hobbes" [4].…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Truth and Error in the Dispute between Hobbes and Descartes on Meditations on First Philosophy

Dumitrescu

2017

LUMEN Proceedings

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“…The language was about obligation and duties. The concept of rights began to be part of the political discourse in the late eighteenth century with the dramatic influence of the French and American Revolutions, though of course rights were not universal but conditional on gender, race and at times social status (Macpherson, 1962;Malcolm, 2002). The twentieth century has seen the discourse of rights dominate.…”

Section: Obligation Western Social Thought and 'Conditionality' In Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social policy, social work and fatongia: Implications of the Tongan concept of obligation

Tofuaipangai¹,

Camilleri

2016

ANZSWJ

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The dominance of Western social work discourse is slowly being challenged as voices from indigenous cultures are expressed. This paper examines the Moanan-Tongan concept of fatongia and considers how it might contribute to a re-examination of the English language concept of obligation in order to develop a more socially progressive perspective on social policy and social work. In countries with a neoliberal welfare state the concept of obligation has become a vexed issue between citizenry and the state. The neoliberal requirement to demonstrate certain behaviours in order to gain access to benefits has challenged the consensus of social rights that imbued traditional notions of state welfare. We argue that rights and obligations have became separated as the Western welfare state discourse has shifted from a rights agenda to an agenda of obligation. Fatongia is about obligation that is entered into freely: it involves the giving of a gift that is enjoyed and reinforces mutual obligations. It is reciprocal and symmetrical and leads to stronger sense of community. By comparison, obligation in Western discourse is asymmetrical, coercive, compulsory and oppressive. For social work practice, the concept of fatongia offers a new direction in which rights are broadened into duties, and responsibilities into gifts. The duality of obligation and rights under fatongia implies a web of relationships between people, families and communities. This offers social work practitioners a constructive and progressive narrative for relationship-based work with clients/service users, and a celebration of rights through doing duty.

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Aspects of Hobbes

Cited by 498 publications

References 0 publications

Hobbes and Sacred History: Two Political Covenants and a Covenant for Salvation

Hobbes and Sacred History: Two Political Covenants and a Covenant for Salvation

Truth and Error in the Dispute between Hobbes and Descartes on Meditations on First Philosophy

Social policy, social work and fatongia: Implications of the Tongan concept of obligation

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