On Hobbes's “Natural Kingdom of God”:

A Critical Re-examination of Warrender's Interpretation

Abstract

In 1957, Howard Warrender published an influential and controversial work, The Political Philosopy of Hobbes, which gives so-called “religionist interpretation” of Hobbes's “natural law” theory. We critically evaluate Warrender's claim that God plays an essential role in the foundation of Hobbes's rational/natural law theory. This examination mainly deals with chapter 31 of Leviathan, “of the Kingdom of God by Nature”, on which Warrender's claim is based. After having examined the Hobbesian topic in the chapter, “natural punishments”, we conclude that Warrender's “religionist interpretation” is unsustainable.