Luc Foisneau, a Hobbes scholar, advanced the argument that misinterpretation can sometimes produce unforeseen productivity. Using the example of David Gauthier, a commentator on Hobbes who, having ignored salient points in Hobbes's original text, developed a new perspective on the field now known as Theories of Justice. In this conference, we explore how acquiring knowledge through hermeneutic errors can generate new insights in moral and political theory.

Luc Foisneau

Luc Foisneau is a research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), presently associated to the Centre Raymond Aron (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales), in Paris. Between 2003 and 2006, he was a visiting research associate at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. In 2001, he was awarded by the Institut d'Études Politiques in Paris for his Hobbes et la toute-puissance de Dieu (Paris, 2000) and has co-edited, among other volumes, Leviathan after 350 years (Oxford University Press, 2003). His research develops in the field of history of political thought in 17th Century and 20th Century, with a particular interest in the theories of Sovereignty and their critiques.

Conferences Eutopos

The search for a good place, or an eutopos, has been at the roots of Brotéria's activity over the last year. At Brotéria, we believe that this search has not yet been exhausted. On the contrary, there is still plenty of hidden good to show, many good unknown lives to reveal, many good transformative projects to share. We live in a rugged world, where progress is slow, but where good is built and where hope often does become visibly concrete.

Com o apoio