z-logo
open-access-imgOpen Access
An Isle Near Terra Australis Incognita: Henry Neville’s Mental Experiment and Political Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes
Author(s) -
V. V. Markhinin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
sibirskij filosofskij žurnal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2541-7517
DOI - 10.25205/2541-7517-2021-19-3-131-145
Subject(s) - hegelianism , politics , political philosophy , passions , sovereignty , epistemology , state (computer science) , sociology , context (archaeology) , state of nature , interpretation (philosophy) , pessimism , philosophy , environmental ethics , law , political science , history , archaeology , linguistics , algorithm , computer science
The paper analyzes the ideas of H. Neville’s philosophical novel “The Isle of Pines”. The scope of the research is to make sense of its place within the context of Early Modern political philosophy, and especially its linkage with the Hobbesian theories of human nature, sovereignty and inevitable conflict engaging pre-political communities into bellum omnium contra omnes. Rethinking Hobbesian views on the natural state Neville replaces his mechanical interpretation of human’s passions and behavioral patterns with a historical perspective. Taking into his account contemporary ethnographical knowledge Neville set a mental experiment and found out that a Hobbesian trap before the emergence of a state was not inevitable as well as the lack of social norms. We argue that Neville’s novel was an attempt to escape Hobbesian pessimism and to describe the emergence of social and political structures as a historical and evolutionary proces

The content you want is available to Zendy users.

Already have an account? Click here to sign in.
Having issues? You can contact us here