Compliance with the obligation of obedience in Leviathan: Hobbes, Skinner and the «mythology of coherence».

Authors

  • LUCIANO VENEZIA

Keywords:

Hobbes, Skinner, coherence, authority, prudence.

Abstract

In this paper I discuss Quentin Skinner’s denouncement of the «mythology of coherence» through the analysis of Hobbes’s doctrine of the rationale for political compliance. The Skinnerian critique involves a descriptive thesis regarding classical philosophical texts’ coherence as well as a normative thesis regarding the way these works should be read. The analysis of Hobbes’ conception of political obligation seems to corroborate Skinner’s descriptive thesis. The validity of Skinner’s normative thesis, however, is dubious. Therefore, we should not necessarily interpret that Hobbes’ political work involves an incoherent theory in this respect. Hobbes’s theory of the rationale for political obligation includes elements of different status and scope, in the sense that not all of them have the same weight or theoretical relevance in the context of Hobbes’s argument. Consequently, Hobbes’s theory of the rationale for political compliance is not truly incoherent after all.

Published

2010-10-01

Issue

Section

ARTICLES