Mechanicism and alterity in Thomas Hobbes' Theory

Abstract

The studies of Hobbesian political philosophy usually revolve around the study of fear and how it is the fundamental factor to explain the emergence of sovereignty. This article aims to go beyond the concept of fear as the articulating basis of politics and to focus the analysis on a fundamental domain without which Leviathan cannot be explained: alterity understood as enmity. An analysis of the specific otherness that Hobbes puts into play through his mechanical perspective will allow us to understand the different nuances which this vision incorporates, as well as the consequences that derive from a political philosophy based on a negative conception of the company. The text will explore the lines of articulation of the concept of Hobbesian enmity both from the point of view of the interior of the State and from an interstate perspective.