Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes

Description

This major new work from Quentin Skinner presents a fundamental reappraisal of the political theory of Hobbes. Using, for the first time, the full range of manuscript as well as printed sources, it documents an entirely new view of Hobbes's intellectual development, and re-examines the shift from a humanist to a scientific culture in European moral and political thought. By examining Hobbes's philosophy against the background of his humanist education, Professor Skinner rescues this most difficult and challenging of political philosophers from the intellectual isolation in which he is so often discussed. This book presents a splendid exemplification of the 'Cambridge' contextual approach to the study of intellectual history with which Professor Skinner himself is especially associated. It will be of interest and importance to a wide range of scholars in history, philosophy, politics, and literary theory.

'... Quentin Skinner ... has certainly provided all the evidence needed to argue the case either way, with a meticulous attention to detail ... his mastery of the rhetorical sources is quite exceptional, and he becomes ... the third historian in recent years to reclaim the study of rhetoric as a major element in the Western cultural tradition.' The Times Literary Supplement 'Skinner's book is a transforming contribution to Hobbes studies; but it is much more than that. It is a vindication of the historical method which Skinner has long advocated... Skinner's splendid book provides compelling reason why we should engage in the study of intellectual history...'. John Gray, The Times Higher Education Supplement 'This is a magnificent book ... the first section on classical eloquence, drawing on a huge range of literature, offers one of the best analyses of Renaissance education and civic philosophy in print. In fine he offers an excellent demonstration of Hobbe's deployment of rhetorical tropes in Leviathan, a work no less important for its tone than its argument.' English Historical Review 'Quentin Skinner's Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes is a monumental work which has joined his earlier two-volume Foundations of Modern Political Thought (1978) as a massive contribution to our understanding of late medieval and early modern political theory.' London Review of Books