Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Introduction; Part I. Classical Eloquenc e in Renaissance England: 1. The study of rhetoric; 2. The politics of eloquence; 3. The means of persuasion; 4. The techniques of redescription; 5. The uses of imagery; Part II. Hobbes and the Idea of a Civil Science: 6. Hobbes's early humanism; 7. Hobbes's rejection of eloquence; 8. Hobbes's science of politics; 9. Hobbes's reconsideration of eloquence; 10. Hobbes's practice of rhetoric; Conclusion: why did Hobbes change his mind?; Bibliography; Index.

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An outstanding new interpretation of Hobbes, one of the most difficult and challenging of political philosophers.

Reviews

'... Quentin Skinner ... has certainly provided all the evidence needed to argue the case either way, with a meticulous attention to detail ... his mastery of the rhetorical sources is quite exceptional, and he becomes ... the third historian in recent years to reclaim the study of rhetoric as a major element in the Western cultural tradition.' The Times Literary Supplement 'Skinner's book is a transforming contribution to Hobbes studies; but it is much more than that. It is a vindication of the historical method which Skinner has long advocated... Skinner's splendid book provides compelling reason why we should engage in the study of intellectual history...'. John Gray, The Times Higher Education Supplement 'This is a magnificent book ... the first section on classical eloquence, drawing on a huge range of literature, offers one of the best analyses of Renaissance education and civic philosophy in print. In fine he offers an excellent demonstration of Hobbe's deployment of rhetorical tropes in Leviathan, a work no less important for its tone than its argument.' English Historical Review 'Quentin Skinner's Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes is a monumental work which has joined his earlier two-volume Foundations of Modern Political Thought (1978) as a massive contribution to our understanding of late medieval and early modern political theory.' London Review of Books