Ioannis D. Evrigenis – Science and Religion in Hobbes' Leviathan
Wednesday, April 28, 2021Lecture
7:30 pm CET
Hobbes' Leviathan is justly regarded as a foundational work that seeks to reform political thought and practice by grounding it in modern natural science. Yet a good half of the book consists of Biblical exegesis whose aim is to elaborate a theological justification for the modern state. And so, whereas some consider Hobbes a pioneer of the scientific study of politics, notable others view him as the main political theologian of modernity. Can Hobbes be both?
In discussing the interplay of science and religion in Hobbes’ work, Professor Ioannis D. Evrigenis will address the following three questions:
- How does one spot an atheist?
- What is the role of science in curbing religious conflict?
- Is science the new religion?
Participants are recommended to revisit chapter 12 of the Leviathan.
In discussing the interplay of science and religion in Hobbes’ work, Professor Ioannis D. Evrigenis will address the following three questions:
- How does one spot an atheist?
- What is the role of science in curbing religious conflict?
- Is science the new religion?
Participants are recommended to revisit chapter 12 of the Leviathan.
Ioannis D. Evrigenis is Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Relations Program at Tufts University. He is the author of Images of Anarchy: The Rhetoric and Science in Hobbes's State of Nature, of Fear of Enemies and Collective Action, and of articles on a wide range of issues in political theory, as well as co-editor of Johann Gottfried Herder's Another Philosophy of History & Selected Political Writings.
This event is moderated by BCB Professor of Political Thought Ewa Atanassow and is part of a series of seminars organized by the BCB Science & Religion Project, a part of the Oxford-led project "New Horizons for Science and Religion in Central and Eastern Europe" with support from the Templeton Foundation.
This event is moderated by BCB Professor of Political Thought Ewa Atanassow and is part of a series of seminars organized by the BCB Science & Religion Project, a part of the Oxford-led project "New Horizons for Science and Religion in Central and Eastern Europe" with support from the Templeton Foundation.
Email: [email protected]