Three conversations move from Hobbes’s life and fear of civil conflict to political obligation and the danger of faction. Follow the series in order to see how the search for security becomes an argument about sovereignty, obedience and disagreement.
Three episodes · Listen in order
Durations below are for the Buzzsprout audio recordings (minutes:seconds). Video runtimes may differ.
1. Who Was Thomas Hobbes, and What Was He Afraid Of?
Audio: 22:37
Hobbes’s life, civil conflict and the place of fear in his political thought.
Listen to episode 1 · Watch episode 1
Episode notes and readings · Read the companion essay · Join the discussion
2. Why Should We Obey the State?
Audio: 18:23
Covenant, authorisation and the relationship between protection and obedience.
Listen to episode 2 · Watch episode 2
Episode notes and readings · Read the companion essay · Join the discussion
3. When Does Disagreement Become Faction?
Audio: 21:15
Competing authorities, sedition and the boundary between disagreement and faction.
Listen to episode 3 · Watch episode 3
Episode notes and readings · Read the companion essay · Join the discussion
Continue exploring
The companion essays develop the arguments at The Intellectual Historian. The Reading Club welcomes short responses to a passage or question; you do not need to finish the whole series to contribute.
