THOMAS HOBBES'S LEVIATHAN AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL RELIGION.

This paper will examine Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan as a civil theological contrivance written as a remedy for the social distress of his time and to compare Hobbes's construction with both Plato's Republic, a work rich in civil theological implications of its own. Moreover, the paper will examine recent trends in the United States that have seen civil theology become a significant factor in contemporary American political thought and practice. This factor can be viewed as an integral part of the conservative political agenda, particularly among a group of conservatives influenced by Leo Strauss, the neoconservatives. A critical question is thus posed: does this religious factor constitute a civil theology in the Hobbesian sense and, if so, to what degree? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]