Hobbes and the Cavendish Circle: Intellectual Networks in the Seventeenth Century

An introduction to the Hobbes Studies special issue on Hobbes and the Cavendish Circle: Intellectual Networks in the Seventeenth Century. The issue gathers selected contributions that investigate ways in which philosophical and scientific ideas were discussed and circulated within and through the so-called “Cavendish Circle” – the cosmopolitan network of European thinkers that revolved around William Cavendish, 1st Earl, Marquess, and eventually Duke of Newcastle (1593–1676) and his family, via direct relationships of patronage and indirect learned exchanges. This collection aims to shed light on the role of Thomas Hobbes within this intellectual network and how aspects of his philosophy influenced, and were in turn influenced by, the system of knowledge circulation and knowledge production fostered by William and his brother, Sir Charles Cavendish (1591–1653). Invited contributors are (following the order of the table of content) Timothy Raylor, Stephen Clucas, Mary Jo MacDonald, Marcus Adams, and Sylvie Kleiman-Lafon.