Hobbes

by Richard Tuck

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was the first great English political philosopher, and his book Leviathan was one of the first truly modern works of philosophy. Richard Tuck shows that while Hobbes may indeed have been an atheist, he was far from pessimistic about human nature, nor did he advocate totalitarianism. By locating him against the context of his age, we learn that Hobbes developed a theory of knowledge which rivaled that of Descartes in its importance...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192802550
• ISBN13: 9780192802552
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.5" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

An authoritative introduction to the first great English political philosopher

The author starts by telling us "Hobbes created English-language philosophy". Really? What of Francis Bacon, to whom Hobbes once acted as amanuensis? Poor Bacon does get a brief, grudging mention later on. The description in the blurb of Hobbes as "the first great English political philosopher" is probably more accurate. Certainly he is important, in a broad Western context. He was central to the transition from medieval to modern thought, and was a strong influence on Rousseau and others. Tuck is an expert guide (despite his inexplicable slighting of Bacon) and his style is very readable. This introduction covers Hobbes's life, works and intellectual legacy. Reliable and informative, it is highly recommended as an introduction to, and summary of, Hobbes's ideas, but to better appreciate the context, you might want to read (dare I say it?) Bacon's Essays first.

Good very short introduction

I was able to read this entire little book in much less than a day. Especially interesting was the first section, "Hobbes' Life", which described the relationships between philosophers of that time, both between each other and society. The section on Hobbes' philosophy was also well done, and very informitive. The section on interpretations of Hobbes' didn't seem to have a point. It covered the fine distinctions modern scholars are making, which is well outside the scope of a book introducing someone to Hobbes. As this section can simply be skipped it didn't take away from the book, despite it's questionable value.

An introduction to Hobbes written with clarity and grace

When I read British philosophy as an undergraduate, I skimmed over Hobbes and focused primarily on Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. It was not until recently that I realized the importance of Hobbes's political thought. Therefore, I decided to read Hobbes's "Leviathan." Having previously discovered the outstanding little books in the "Past Masters" series published by the Oxford University Press, I first looked to see if the series included a title on Hobbes, and I found Tuck's book, which I read before reading "Leviathan." Tuck's "Hobbes" provided me with a good foundation for reading "Leviathan," and Tuck greatly increased my appreciation for Hobbes. Tuck is particularly careful to describe not only Hobbes's political philosophy; he also provides an introduction to Hobbes's thought regarding religion, science, ethics, and philosophical method. By gaining an overall picture of Hobbes's thought, I came to appreciate Tuck's claim that "Hobbes created English-language philosophy." I recommend this book to anyone approaching Hobbes for the first time.