Ateneo - UPO

Philosophy, War, and Fear: Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. This course examines Hobbes's philosophical and political thought through a critical and analytical reading of Leviathan. The work will be examined by comparing it with other Hobbesian texts, and the revolutionary theoretical and conceptual significance of Hobbes's thought within the philosophical and political tradition will be emphasized.

T. Hobbes, Leviatano, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2008 (oppure edizione BUR, Milano, 2011); G. Baldin, Thomas Hobbes. Filosofia e politica nell'Europa del Seicento, Carocci, Roma, 2025. Le studentesse e gli studenti dovranno inoltre preparare uno dei seguenti articoli o saggi a scelta: C. Schmitt, Sul Leviatano, a cura di C. Galli, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2017; K. Hoekstra, A Lion in the House: Hobbes and Democracy, in J. Tully, A. Brett (eds.), Rethinking the Foundations of Modern Political Thought, CUP, Cambridge, 2006, pp. 191-218; Id., Disarming the Prophets: Thomas Hobbes and Predictive Power, in L. Foisneau, G. Wright (eds.), Nuove prospettive critiche sul Leviatano di Hobbes, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2004, pp. 97-153; L. Iori, Hobbes, Thucydides and Athenian Democracy, in D. Piovan, G. Giorgini (eds.), Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Athenian Democracy: From the Late Middle Ages to the Contemporary Era, Brill, Leiden-Boston, 2021, pp. 153-75; G. Paganini, Introduzione, in T. Hobbes, Moto, luogo e tempo, Utet, Torino, 2010, pp. 9-104; L. Foisneau, Manières de gouverner, CNRS Éditions, Paris, 2025, (i capp. dedicati a Hobbes); Q. Skinner, Hobbes and the Humanist Frontispiece, in From Humanism to Hobbes, CUP, Cambridge, 2018, pp. 222-315; N. Malcolm, Hobbes and Spinoza in Aspects of Hobbes, OUP, Oxford, 2004, pp. 27-52; Id., Hobbes, Sandys, and the Virginia Company, ibid., pp. 53-79; J. R. Collins, Thomas Hobbes and the Blackloist Conspiracy of 1649, "The Historical Journal", Vol. 45, No. 2 (2002), pp. 305-31; P. Springborg, Hobbes and the Word, in L. Simonutti (ed.), Religious obedience and political resistance in the early modern world: Jewish, Christian and Islamic philosophers addressing the Bible, Brepols, Turnhout, 2014, pp. 183-212.

1) Knowledge: At a basic level, students are expected to have a general understanding of Leviathan and the arguments developed by the author in the text. At an advanced level, students are expected to have a thorough knowledge of the text, including the ability to reference other works by Hobbes and contemporary cultural events. 2) Mastery of disciplinary scientific vocabulary: At a basic level, students must know and master the author's scientific vocabulary, being able to explain philosophical and political concepts clearly, simply, yet comprehensively. At an advanced level, students are expected to have a broad command of scientific vocabulary, which must be used thoughtfully and critically. 3) Ability to compare, identify, and establish connections between Hobbes's arguments and those of other authors: At a basic level, students are expected to be able to compare passages in the text, identifying general correlations between concepts. At a more advanced level, students are expected to critically compare texts and concepts, also highlighting problematic aspects. 4) At a basic level, the ability to communicate content clearly and comprehensively, for educational purposes, is required. 4b) The ability to use philosophical tools and content to analyze and address issues and problems related to the contemporary world: at an advanced level, the ability to use the tools and conceptual devices provided by Hobbes to analyze the contemporary world, is required. 5) Argumentation: at a basic level, the ability to develop a clear, simple, and linear philosophical argument, is required. At an advanced level, the ability to mobilize the resources learned to develop an independent interpretation of texts and authors, is required.

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Lectures; discussion. During the lecture, the instructor will introduce the figure of Hobbes, place Leviathan within the historical and cultural context of the time, and critically examine the work, comparing it to other Hobbesian texts. Finally, the historiographical debate on Hobbes will be examined. Brief excerpts from Hobbes's philosophical texts and additional supplementary material will be made available by the instructor on DIR.

Please register to DIR platform. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Oral exam. The exam is assessed using specific evaluation criteria defined for two different levels of competence. Regarding content knowledge, the basic level requires a general understanding of Leviathan and its fundamental theses, while the advanced level requires a thorough mastery of the text, enriched by specific references to the historical and cultural context of the period and to Hobbes's work as a whole. Regarding mastery of scientific and disciplinary vocabulary, the basic level requires a correct use of the author's terminology with clear and comprehensive explanations of philosophical and political concepts, while the advanced level is distinguished by a broad, critical, informed, and conceptually rigorous use of specialized language. Regarding the ability to compare and connect, the basic level assesses the ability to connect different passages of the work by identifying general connections between categories; conversely, the advanced level requires a complex comparative analysis, capable of highlighting the most problematic theoretical aporias and junctures. The criterion of communication and contemporary application measures, at the basic level, effective exposition with clear didactic purposes, while the advanced level assesses the ability to independently apply Hobbesian conceptual frameworks to interpret the contemporary world. Finally, in terms of argumentative and re-elaboration skills, the basic level emphasizes the construction of a linear, clear, and coherent philosophical discourse, while the advanced level rewards the independent mobilization of knowledge to develop an original and critical interpretation of texts.

The course aims to critically analyze Leviathan, comparing the text to other Hobbesian works, within the framework of an intellectual historical analysis that involves reading the text within the context of the political and cultural events of the time. Furthermore, the main interpretative readings of Hobbes that have emerged in twentieth-century historiography will be examined and considered in light of Leviathan, to provide students with the conceptual tools to correctly interpret a philosophical text. Finally, some contemporary critical readings will be proposed, which students will compare with Hobbes's texts.

1) Know the main theoretical, philosophical-political nodes of Hobbes' thought; 2) Know the importance of Leviathan in twentieth-century historiography; 3) Know the main contemporary historiographical readings of Hobbesian thought; 4) Master Hobbesian philosophical concepts, historiographical categories, using an adequate scientific disciplinary lexicon; 5) Argue using the philosophical concepts specific to Hobbesian thought.