One cheer for Constantinople: A comment on Pettit and Skinner on Hobbes and freedom

Philip Pettit and Quentin Skinner find Hobbes's understanding of freedom as non-interference inadequate because it fails to appreciate what is wrong with a life lived as a slave. Though their critiques have some force, however, Hobbes's view of freedom has virtues of its own. It is highly...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: KUKATHAS, Chandran
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2009
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2924
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4181/viewcontent/Constantinople_av.pdf
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Institution: Singapore Management University
Language: English
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Summary:Philip Pettit and Quentin Skinner find Hobbes's understanding of freedom as non-interference inadequate because it fails to appreciate what is wrong with a life lived as a slave. Though their critiques have some force, however, Hobbes's view of freedom has virtues of its own. It is highly sensitive to the fact that freedom is a matter of degree. It is also unlikely to mistake freedom for something else, like security or dignity. Moreover, Hobbes is not as unmindful of the dangers of servility as many think.