• Hobbes and the Question of Power

    Author(s):
    Sandra Field (see profile)
    Date:
    2014
    Group(s):
    Philosophy
    Subject(s):
    Philosophy, Modern, History, Political science--Philosophy
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    hobbes, Potentia, Potestas, Power, Sovereignty, History of modern philosophy, Political philosophy
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6XN5Z
    Abstract:
    Thomas Hobbes has been hailed as the philosopher of power par excellence; however, I demonstrate that Hobbes’s conceptualization of political power is not stable across his texts. Once the distinction is made between the authorized and the effective power of the sovereign, it is no longer sufficient simply to defend a doctrine of the authorized power of the sovereign; such a doctrine must be robustly complemented by an account of how the effective power commensurate to this authority might be achieved. Nor is this straightforward: for effective political power can fluctuate, sometimes severely. In this light, the prevalent juridical reading of Hobbes’s political philosophy is inadequate.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1353/hph.2014.0010
    Publisher:
    Johns Hopkins University Press
    Pub. Date:
    2014-2-2
    Journal:
    Journal of the History of Philosophy
    Volume:
    52
    Issue:
    1
    Page Range:
    61 - 85
    ISSN:
    1538-4586
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    6 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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