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The state of nature and the shaping of modernity : tracing the roots of colonialism, secularity, and ecology / Christopher Watkin.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Watkin, Christopher, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.
- Hobbes, Thomas.
- Locke, John, 1632-1704.
- Locke, John.
- Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778.
- Rousseau, Jean-Jacques.
- Philosophy of nature.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource
- Place of Publication:
- Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.
- Summary:
- "The state of nature is a powerful idea at the heart of the fragmented and sometimes conflicting stories the modern West tells about itself. It also makes sense of foundational Western commitments to equality and accumulation, freedom and property, universality and the individual. By exploring the social and cultural imaginaries that emerge from the distinct and often contradictory accounts of the state of nature in the writing of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, The State of Nature and the Shaping of Modernity offers a fresh perspective on some of the most pressing debates of our time, showing how the state of nature idea provides a powerful lens through which to focus the complex forces shaping today's political and cultural landscape. It also explores how ideas about human nature and origins drive today's debates about colonialism, secularism, and the environment, and how they can shed new light on some of society's most heated debates"-- Cambridge University Press.
- Contents:
- Introduction : the state of nature we’re in
- What is the state of nature?
- The imaginary worlds of the state of nature
- The theoretical figures of the state of nature
- Colonial imaginaries of the state of nature
- Secular imaginaries of the state of nature
- Ecological imaginaries of the state of nature
- Conclusion : making sense.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge University Press, viewed December 1, 2025).
- Other Format:
- Print version: Watkin, Christopher. State of nature and the shaping of modernity
- ISBN:
- 9781009670456
- 100967045X
- 9781009670432
- 1009670433
- OCLC:
- 1552151801
- Publisher Number:
- CIPO000304592
- CIPO000308117
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license
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