Defending the Hobbesian Right of Self-Defense
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6352310 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susanne Sreedhar (Boston University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 781-802 |
| Publication date | 2008-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-5917 • E-ISSN: 1552-7476 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0090591708323366 |
| OpenAlex | W2052277790 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 2 |
A well-known part of Hobbes's political theory is his discussion of the inalienability of the right of self-defense. In this article, I present and defend a reinterpretation of Hobbes's account of self-defense. I begin by showing the weaknesses of the standard interpretation of this account: It rests on an implausible thesis about the evil of death; it renders Hobbes's applications of the right of self-defense inexplicable; and it conflicts with Hobbes's claim that there are cases in which the right of self-defense can be given up. I argue that we should understand Hobbes's claim to be that the right of self-defense is inalienable only in the social contract, and I offer a new interpretation of how his argument on this point might go
Argument (complex analysis · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Law and economics · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Reinterpretation · Self-Defense · Social contract · Sociology · Law · Philosophy · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought · War, Ethics, and Justification
| Citations per year | 0.24 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2019 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |