Thomas Hobbes: Skepticism, Individuality and Chastened Politics (Modernity and Political Thought) - New Edition

as Its Subtitle _skepticism, Individuality And Chastened Politics_ Indicates, This Book Is An Exploration Of And A Largely Favorable Engagement With Salient Elements In The Thinking Of A Theorist Who Is Widely Regarded As The Greatest Anglophone Political Thinker And Among The Top Rank Of Philosophical Writers Generally. In Emphazing Hobbes's Skepticism, Richard Flathman Goes Against The Grain Of Much Of The Literature Concerning Hobbes. The Theme Of Individuality Is More Familiar, Particularly From The Celebrated Writings On Hobbes By Michael Oakeshott, But The Idea Of A Chastened Politics Challenges The Widely Influential View That Hobbes Was Not Only An Authoritarian But An Incipient Or Proto-totalitarian. booknews in His Unconventional Reading Of The Political Philosophy Of Thomas Hobbes, Flathman (political Science, Johns Hopkins U.) Suggests A Liberal Reading Of Hobbes That Is Skeptical Of Ethical And Metaphysical Arguments That Claim To Know God Or God's Moral Requirements. This Leads To A View That The Preferred Political Order Is One In Which Disagreement And Disturbance Are To Be Privileged Over An Imposed Homogeneity Or Uniformity. The Foregoing Suggests That We Cannot Do Well Without Government, But We Should Chasten Our Expectations For Government To Provide The Conditions Necessary For The Pursuit Of Our Individual Happiness. Annotation C. Book News, Inc., Portland, Or (booknews.com) In his unconventional reading of the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, Flathman (political science, Johns Hopkins U.) suggests a liberal reading of Hobbes that is skeptical of ethical and metaphysical arguments that claim to know God or God's moral requirements. This leads to a view that the preferred political order is one in which disagreement and disturbance are to be privileged over an imposed homogeneity or uniformity. The foregoing suggests that we cannot do well without government, but we should chasten our expectations for government to provide the conditions necessary for the pursuit of our individual happiness. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR