Hobbes's Theories of Freedom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10189132 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Van Mill (University of Colorado System, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 443-459 |
| Publication date | 1995-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3816 • E-ISSN: 1468-2508 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2960315 |
| OpenAlex | W2016335766 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 5 |
Hobbes seems to provide a logically coherent concept of liberty. He tells us that agents are free to the extent they are unimpeded by external obstacles. It is not surprising, therefore, that most commentators have seen Hobbes as the primary theorist of what I call "pure" negative freedom. I argue, however, that his theory of freedom tends to be considerably more complicated than usually thought. Hobbes actually discusses a great many other conditions of freedom besides the absence of external impediments. Once we examine his argument carefully, we find a rich, although sometimes confused, view of freedom. I claim that Hobbes actually uses the term freedom in several ways which sometimes complement one another and which sometimes lead Hobbes to contradictory positions. In this article I identify the extent to which Hobbes is consistent in his different usages of the term freedom and how it relates to such concepts as causality, fear, obligation, endeavor, punishment, and the laws and right of nature
Epistemology · Law and economics · Political science · Sociology · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,07 |
| Citation span | 1997 - 2011 (15) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |