Hobbes (Past Masters S.) - Softcover

Tuck, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192876686 ISBN 13: 9780192876683

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1989

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

Review from previous editionlucid introduction to the first great English political philosopher (The Times)

Very useful for students - comprehensive, concise and clearly written. (J. Townshend, Manchester Polytechnic)

A useful introductory text, particularly in so far as it makes the results of more recent scholarship readily available to undergraduates. (Dr P. Dews, University of Essex)

About the Author:

Richard Tuck is Professor of Government at Harvard University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0192876686
• ISBN 13: 9780192876683
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 136