Hobbes wrote
Leviathain during the English Civil War. I believe this is fairly significant.
Would his work have been any different had it been written at a time of peace? I
tend to think it would be.
Hobbes argues that humanity’s natural state is chaos and only a government can hold people together. I believe that his having lived through a significant time of conflict at least played a small role in helping him shape such an idea. It’s logical to think a person composing a piece of literature about the nature of man and politics may form different viewpoints based on if they were living through a time of war or a time of peace. One may find it easier to shape an opinion such as the state of nature is "war of every man against every man" during a time of national conflict.
Additionally, Hobbes' opinions may have carried more weight and received more attention at a time when British political and social structures were in flux. The war likely caused many British citizens to think more critically about the political institutions in which they were living under.
Dave A
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think that it is truly significant that Hobbes was writing in a time of war, when he himself was living in fear. His ideas are shaped by his experience, which is how he claims the relationship between people is also shaped. This goes along with my post on his constructivist view of the world. How each idea and custom is shaped by experience determines the outcome it produces. Hobbes' experience in war and with unrest leads him to believe that man's natural state is one of war.
Great insight!
Of course, the *situation* of the author is important. I would only caution you to not let this over-influence your reading. Writers in countries of conflict have written about peace. Arguably, they have provided some insight into peace processes.
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