Thucydidean Influence on Hobbesian Anthropology

Abstract

The present work analyses the Thucydides’ influence in Hobbes’ anthropology, in spite of the fact that he never referred to Thucydides in his political theory works. For this to be, in first place, reference is made to the context of production and to the preliminary writings of the edition of Hobbes’ translation of the Peloponnesian War. Secondly, four notions are identified in the Greek thinker’s text: immanent cause, human nature, passions and hiding. Thirdly, we demonstrate how the British thinker appropriates such notions utilizing the geometric method and modern mechanistic metaphysics. Finally, we conclude that this reception provides the possibility of elevating to universal and self-evident categories the Thucydides’ notions, and in such case part of Hobbes’ political philosophy would attempt to be a synthesis between classic humanism and modern natural science. This allows, on the one hand, to rethink the link between the classical and modern world, and, on the other hand, the possibility of extracting trans-historical concepts that can explain different political conjunctures.