Abstract
Hobbes’s account of gratitude in his civil science, in Parts I and II of Leviathan, presents readers with a puzzle. Among equals, unrequitable benefits generate envy and resentment in the recipient(s). Only if a benefactor is acknowledged as superior might they be received with a disposition of love and gratitude. Hobbes’s civil science establishes that the sovereign is the greatest, even sole, benefactor to every subject. His gifts cannot be requited. Civil science, however, cannot establish the sovereign as inherently superior to subjects, and the rightful object of reverence. The sovereign’s gifts—of security (for all) and preferment (for some)—will only be received in a spirit of gratitude if subjects view him
as God’s representative, rather than merely the representative of the state. The Gordian knot between equality and ingratitude is broken only in Parts III and IV, where Hobbes derives his conclusions from the “divine politiques” contained in Scripture.
as God’s representative, rather than merely the representative of the state. The Gordian knot between equality and ingratitude is broken only in Parts III and IV, where Hobbes derives his conclusions from the “divine politiques” contained in Scripture.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Modern Intellectual History |
| Publication status | Unpublished - Jan 2025 |