Hobbes and the civil religion of Leviathan

Abstract

Author in his article offers a historical survey of debates about the meaning of religion and the theory of religion in Hobbes. First he outlines the views of Warrender and Oakeshott, then he takes a look at Pocock's important contribution to this debate. Pocock draws attention to the frequently neglected fact that an entire half of Hobbes's central work Leviathan was composed of his views on religious matters. Pocock concludes that the end of this Hobbes's religious theory is to refuse claims for power, made by all rival religious groups of his time, and to lay the foundation for religious tolerance. Tuck later adds that the purpose of Hobbes's materialistic interpretation of religion is to liberate people from fears which religion has imposed on them, and that this is a utopian element in Hobbes's thought. Springborg also reminds us that Hobbes was always very cautious not to oppose the established religious views, which is entirely consistent with his main principle that the contents of religious beliefs should be determined by the civil sovereign. Author ends his article with the conclusion that a certain ambiguity of Hobbes's religious views is the price he has to pay for his theoretical achievements, an analytical one that consist in his examination of power in strictly formal terms, and his another achievement of succeeding to construct a materialistic religion that represents a model for modern civil religions.