JOURNAL ARTICLE

Sovereign Resistance to Reading in Hobbes's Leviathan.

Published In: CR: The New Centennial Review, 2023, v. 23, n. 2. P. 147 1 of 3
Database: America: History and Life with Full Text 2 of 3
Authored By: Bascuñán, Matías 3 of 3

Abstract

This text explores the relationship between sovereignty and reading in Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. It argues that sovereignty both necessitates and rejects reading, excluding it in order to monopolize it. The text examines Hobbes's self-reading strategy and the tension between the need for language and the desire for absolute control over interpretation. It concludes that sovereignty must compromise itself and fail to function because it relies on language to legislate. Additionally, the text discusses Hobbes's views on the role of books and the importance of universities in teaching the correct doctrines to prevent discord. It also explores the idea that a self-reading text like Leviathan would ultimately suppress its own language and cease to exist as a text. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

Source:CR: The New Centennial Review. 2023/09, Vol. 23, Issue 2, p147
Document Type:Article
Subject Area:Political Science
Publication Date:2023
ISSN:1532-687X
DOI:10.14321/crnewcentrevi.23.2.0147
Accession Number:177965059
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