Hope, Fear, and the Mollification of the Vanquished in Hobbes's Behemoth or the Long Parliament

Abstract

Contrary to a standard view that Hobbes recommends elimination of private opinion by enlarging fear of violent death, in Behemoth, his dialogue on the causes of the English Civil War, he shows how to shift the balance of hope and fear that can motivate obedience but also engender rebellion. By linking recent events to historical struggles for power, Hobbes's teacher transfers the student's fear of destruction at the hands of domestic “enemies” to all individuals as insatiable seekers of power. Meanwhile, the student's hope of security is shifted from real or imagined heroes to the depersonalized institutions of Restoration England.