Kierkegaard and Hobbes on the State of Nature

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper connects Hobbes the political philosopher with Kierkegaard the existentialist philosopher through the prism of the state of nature. It compares Kierkegaard's account of the emergence of ethical norms from the aesthetic stage of life with Hobbes's account of the emergence of legal norms from the state of nature. The paper argues that the transition from the state of nature to the state of civil society involves, not only a change of state, but also a transformation of self. This view of the relationship between the self and the state sees the Hobbesian state through the lens of the Kierkegaardian self. An internal change takes place within the self when we move from the state of nature to the state.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)211-228
Number of pages18
JournalAmerican Journal of Jurisprudence
Volume68
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Kierkegaard and Hobbes on the State of Nature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this