I've read everything I could find on Hobbes and he is one cool cat. I've dissected all of it. His philosophy on life, people, nature of man. He's brilliant. I only gave him passing treatment when I was younger and thank you for turning me back on to him.
He seems to have a very good understanding of human nature and what drives us. His philosophy is clearly stated and easy to understand.
Even a child could grasp it.
his comments about imagination:
QuoteMuch memory, or memory of many things, is called experience. Again, imagination being only of those things which have been formerly perceived by sense, either all at once, or by parts at several times; the former (which is the imagining the whole object, as it was presented to the sense) is simple imagination, as when one imagineth a man, or horse, which he hath seen before. The other is compounded, when from the sight of a man at one time, and of a horse at another, we conceive in our mind a centaur. So when a man compoundeth the image of his own person with the image of the actions of another man, as when a man imagines himself a Hercules or an Alexander (which happeneth often to them that are much taken with reading of romances), it is a compound imagination, and properly but a fiction of the mind. There be also other imaginations that rise in men, though waking, from the great impression made in sense: as from gazing upon the sun, the impression leaves an image of the sun before our eyes a long time after; and from being long and vehemently attent upon geometrical figures, a man shall in the dark, though awake, have the images of lines and angles before his eyes; which kind of fancy hath no particular name, as being a thing that doth not commonly fall into men's discourse.
his commentary on nature, mans condition in it:
QuoteNevertheless, it is not prudence that distinguisheth man from beast. There be beasts that at a year old observe more and pursue that which is for their good more prudently than a child can do at ten.
on love and hate, aversion and desire:
QuoteThat which men desire they are said to love, and to hate those things for which they have aversion. So that desire and love are the same thing; save that by desire, we signify the absence of the object; by love, most commonly the presence of the same. So also by aversion, we signify the absence; and by hate, the presence of the object.
Of appetites and aversions, some are born with men; as appetite of food, appetite of excretion, and exoneration (which may also and more properly be called aversions, from somewhat they feel in their bodies), and some other appetites, not many. The rest, which are appetites of particular things, proceed from experience and trial of their effects upon themselves or other men. For of things we know not at all, or believe not to be, we can have no further desire than to taste and try. But aversion we have for things, not only which we know have hurt us, but also that we do not know whether they will hurt us, or not.
Those things which we neither desire nor hate, we are said to contemn: contempt being nothing else but an immobility or contumacy of the heart in resisting the action of certain things; and proceeding from that the heart is already moved otherwise, by other more potent objects, or from want of experience of them.
You've done it PoD, you've convinced me. You've opened my eyes to the light that is Hobbes and I embrace it with a tigers ferocity.
congradulations, you've changed my mind.
I've become a Hobbsian, and I feel liberated. I want to spread all of the wisdom that is Hobbes to all corners of the world.
but my really really favorite things that Hobbes has said follows:
(http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1382/hobbes5.gif)
(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4767/hobbes1.gif)
(http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7687/hobbes2.gif)
And now I've started studying Calvinism as a result. I may have to admit to being a Calvinist.
(http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7674/calvin4.jpg)
(http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1418/calvin1.jpg)
(http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8646/calvin2c.gif)
(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3754/calvin3.gif)
:D
Oh jeez yes!! Calvin and Hobbes has always been and will always be my favorite traditional comic ever written I believe.
It makes me so sad that Bill Watterson isn't making them anymore! :x Stupid jackasses, ripping off his work!! :argh!: