Kody W. Cooper is assistant professor of political science and public service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

"Cooper offers his take on Hobbes as belonging to, though an internal critic of, the scholastic natural law tradition. What follows is a dazzling read into the mind of one of England's greatest political thinkers." —VoegelinView"Cooper has made an admirable contribution to understanding better what Hobbes intended, but also to the debates in modern legal and moral philosophy." —The Review of Politics"Kody W. Cooper's book, Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law, provides a clear, scholarly account of the relationship between Hobbes's natural law and the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of the theory of good. A brilliantly lucid work of analysis, the book introduces Hobbes's ideas and his concern throughout his life with the traditional natural law theory." —Reading Religion"Kody W. Cooper's thesis is that Thomas Hobbes's moral and civil philosophy sits squarely within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of natural law theorizing. . . . His is that sort of 'Empire Strikes Back' book that . . . seeks to contain the damage of the rebel by recasting him as no rebel at all." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Kody Cooper's reinterpretation of Hobbes is original and persuasive. It effectively upends most received opinions about Hobbes's philosophy, political doctrines, relationship to preceding thought, and relevance to contemporary liberal democracies. This is a new and improved Hobbes—one sure to inspire new and improved inquiry into the natural law foundations of liberalism." —S. Adam Seagrave, University of Missouri"Just as Étienne Gilson showed that René Descartes owed more to the scholastic tradition than previously acknowledged, so Kody Cooper indicates that Thomas Hobbes adjusts but largely accepts Thomas Aquinas's natural law account of God, church-state relations, and positive law. Among the book's many virtues, it treats with sympathy and subtlety scholars taking a wide range of rival perspectives on the interpretation of Hobbes." —Christopher Kaczor, Loyola Marymount University"Challenging the customary views, this volume argues that Thomas Hobbes's natural law is more than a set of rational but not morally obligatory rules. Kody Cooper argues that key aspects of Hobbes's construction fall within the boundaries of the classical natural law tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas. Cooper's argument for this position is the most thorough and persuasive to date, and is required reading for anyone interested in learning about Hobbes's views on natural law and Christian theology." —Laurie M. Johnson, Kansas State University"This study substantively advances the interpretation of Hobbes as a natural law theorist. Kody Cooper's sure-handed treatment of Hobbes's political philosophy and the tradition of natural law is impressive; and his engagement with the best Hobbesian scholarship is illuminating." —Al Martinich, Roy Allison Vaughan Centennial Professor in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin

Kody W. Cooper is assistant professor of political science and public service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

"Cooper offers his take on Hobbes as belonging to, though an internal critic of, the scholastic natural law tradition. What follows is a dazzling read into the mind of one of England's greatest political thinkers." —VoegelinView"Cooper has made an admirable contribution to understanding better what Hobbes intended, but also to the debates in modern legal and moral philosophy." —The Review of Politics"Kody W. Cooper's book, Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law, provides a clear, scholarly account of the relationship between Hobbes's natural law and the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of the theory of good. A brilliantly lucid work of analysis, the book introduces Hobbes's ideas and his concern throughout his life with the traditional natural law theory." —Reading Religion"Kody W. Cooper's thesis is that Thomas Hobbes's moral and civil philosophy sits squarely within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of natural law theorizing. . . . His is that sort of 'Empire Strikes Back' book that . . . seeks to contain the damage of the rebel by recasting him as no rebel at all." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Kody Cooper's reinterpretation of Hobbes is original and persuasive. It effectively upends most received opinions about Hobbes's philosophy, political doctrines, relationship to preceding thought, and relevance to contemporary liberal democracies. This is a new and improved Hobbes—one sure to inspire new and improved inquiry into the natural law foundations of liberalism." —S. Adam Seagrave, University of Missouri"Just as Étienne Gilson showed that René Descartes owed more to the scholastic tradition than previously acknowledged, so Kody Cooper indicates that Thomas Hobbes adjusts but largely accepts Thomas Aquinas's natural law account of God, church-state relations, and positive law. Among the book's many virtues, it treats with sympathy and subtlety scholars taking a wide range of rival perspectives on the interpretation of Hobbes." —Christopher Kaczor, Loyola Marymount University"Challenging the customary views, this volume argues that Thomas Hobbes's natural law is more than a set of rational but not morally obligatory rules. Kody Cooper argues that key aspects of Hobbes's construction fall within the boundaries of the classical natural law tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas. Cooper's argument for this position is the most thorough and persuasive to date, and is required reading for anyone interested in learning about Hobbes's views on natural law and Christian theology." —Laurie M. Johnson, Kansas State University"This study substantively advances the interpretation of Hobbes as a natural law theorist. Kody Cooper's sure-handed treatment of Hobbes's political philosophy and the tradition of natural law is impressive; and his engagement with the best Hobbesian scholarship is illuminating." —Al Martinich, Roy Allison Vaughan Centennial Professor in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin

Kody W. Cooper is assistant professor of political science and public service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

"Cooper offers his take on Hobbes as belonging to, though an internal critic of, the scholastic natural law tradition. What follows is a dazzling read into the mind of one of England's greatest political thinkers." —VoegelinView"Cooper has made an admirable contribution to understanding better what Hobbes intended, but also to the debates in modern legal and moral philosophy." —The Review of Politics"Kody W. Cooper's book, Thomas Hobbes and the Natural Law, provides a clear, scholarly account of the relationship between Hobbes's natural law and the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of the theory of good. A brilliantly lucid work of analysis, the book introduces Hobbes's ideas and his concern throughout his life with the traditional natural law theory." —Reading Religion"Kody W. Cooper's thesis is that Thomas Hobbes's moral and civil philosophy sits squarely within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of natural law theorizing. . . . His is that sort of 'Empire Strikes Back' book that . . . seeks to contain the damage of the rebel by recasting him as no rebel at all." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Kody Cooper's reinterpretation of Hobbes is original and persuasive. It effectively upends most received opinions about Hobbes's philosophy, political doctrines, relationship to preceding thought, and relevance to contemporary liberal democracies. This is a new and improved Hobbes—one sure to inspire new and improved inquiry into the natural law foundations of liberalism." —S. Adam Seagrave, University of Missouri"Just as Étienne Gilson showed that René Descartes owed more to the scholastic tradition than previously acknowledged, so Kody Cooper indicates that Thomas Hobbes adjusts but largely accepts Thomas Aquinas's natural law account of God, church-state relations, and positive law. Among the book's many virtues, it treats with sympathy and subtlety scholars taking a wide range of rival perspectives on the interpretation of Hobbes." —Christopher Kaczor, Loyola Marymount University"Challenging the customary views, this volume argues that Thomas Hobbes's natural law is more than a set of rational but not morally obligatory rules. Kody Cooper argues that key aspects of Hobbes's construction fall within the boundaries of the classical natural law tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas. Cooper's argument for this position is the most thorough and persuasive to date, and is required reading for anyone interested in learning about Hobbes's views on natural law and Christian theology." —Laurie M. Johnson, Kansas State University"This study substantively advances the interpretation of Hobbes as a natural law theorist. Kody Cooper's sure-handed treatment of Hobbes's political philosophy and the tradition of natural law is impressive; and his engagement with the best Hobbesian scholarship is illuminating." —Al Martinich, Roy Allison Vaughan Centennial Professor in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin