ThomasHobbes,thegreatestEnglishpoliticalphilosopher,arguedthathumanbeingsneededgovernmentinordertosavetheirlivesfrombeing“solitary,poor,nasty,brutish,andshort.“Theyformgovernmentsbymakingacontractwitheachothertosupportasovereign,towhomtheygivetheirrightofgoverningthemselves.Inotherwords,governmentisartificialandnotnaturaltohumanbeings.Hobbes’sargumentsareformidable,butoftenunacceptable.Forexample,fewpeoplebelieveHobbes’sclaimthattheauthorityoftheirgovernmentisunlimited.Governmentneedstobelimitedinsomeway,suchasasystemofcheckandbalances,topreventtyranny.IdentifyingexactlywhereHobbeswentwrongisdifficult,butalsoilluminatesthetruthaboutgovernment.Hobbes’sPoliticalPhilosophy:InterpretationandInterpretationsaimstoclarifyHobbes’spositionsbyexaminingwhatHobbesconsideredascienceofpolitics,asetoftimelesstruthsgroundedindefinitions.A.P.Martinichexplainsthisscienceofpolitics,examiningHobbes’sviewsonthelawsofnature,authorizationandrepresentation,sovereigntybyacquisition,andothers.Hearguesthatinadditiontothetimelessscience,Hobbeshadtwotimeboundprojects.ThefirstwastoeliminatetheapparentconflictbetweenthenewscienceofCopernicusandGalileoandtraditionalChristiandoctrinebydistinguishingsciencefromreligionandunderstandingChristianityasessentiallybeliefintheliteralmeaningoftheBible.ThesecondwastoshowthatChristianityisnotpoliticallydestabilizingbyappealingtobiblicalteachingssuchas“Servants,obeyyourmasters,“and“AllauthoritycomesfromGod.“InexaminingHobbes’sviewsonpoliticalphilosophy,MartinichgivesacomprehensiveoverviewofHobbes’shistoricalcontextandputshisargumentsindialoguewithotherinterpretationsofHobbes’sphilosophy,drawingontheworkofscholarssuchasJeffreyCollins,EdwinCurley,JohnDeigh,andQuentinSkinner.ThisnewinterpretationofHobbes’sworkwillbeofinteresttophilosophersinterestedinthehistoryofphilosophyaswellasthoseinterestedinpoliticalphilosophy,theology,andmoralphilosophy.
