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Counsel, command and crisis

Version 2 2023-06-12, 08:32
Version 1 2023-06-09, 03:00
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 08:32 authored by Joanne Paul
Although the distinction between counsel and command in Hobbes’s works, especially Leviathan, has been often acknowledged, it has been little studied. This article provides background and analysis of this critical distinction by placing it in conversation with the works of Henry Parker and in the context of the English Civil War, especially as regards the discussion of prudence, interests and crisis. In so doing, three conclusions can be drawn. First, it becomes clear that for both Parker and Hobbes, counsel serves as a foundation to their arguments about the placement and function of sovereignty. Second, in grounding their arguments about sovereignty in the discourse of counsel, both authors – intentionally or unintentionally – undermine the previously critical discourse of counsel. Finally, we see that especially Hobbes’s engagement with and overthrow of the discourse of counsel profoundly alters of the terms and focus of modern political debate, moving from a ‘monarchy of counsel’ to a discussion of political sovereignty.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Hobbes Studies

ISSN

0921-5891

Publisher

Brill

Issue

2

Volume

28

Page range

103-131

Department affiliated with

  • History Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-10-11

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-10-11

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