Hobbes

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.