Theological Origins of Modernity

hobbes’ fearful wisdom 221
but for wrongly desiring it. 48 Th ey are thus blamed not for their choices but
for their character.
In 1655 Hobbes published the fi rst part of his philosophical system, De
corpore. It was his attempt to show defi nitively that the only substances
that exist are bodies. Th e demonstration of this position was crucial as
a ground for the arguments in his earlier works and for the position that
he maintained in his debates with Descartes and Bramhall. In that same
year Hobbes became involved in what proved to be a long debate with the
mathematician John Wallis about the nature of mathematics. Wallis was
not merely a mathematician; he was also a clergyman and a leading Presbyterian,
indeed someone Hobbes held responsible for fomenting the Civil
War. 49 Hobbes believed that the success of his political work was at stake
since he saw it as rooted in the mathematical and physical arguments of De
corpore, an opinion shared by his opponent. 50 Th e length and bitterness of
this debate was less a result of the importance of the mathematical questions
than their perceived political and theological signifi cance.
Hobbes’ notoriety also played a role in his exclusion from the Royal
Society. A few members (Wallis in particular) detested Hobbes, and others
found it diffi cult to forgive his attacks on their religious views. 51 Hobbes
also had no sympathy for the Society’s Baconian emphasis on experimentation.
Still, he was an important scientist and had many friends among
the members. In all likelihood the real barrier to admission was the similarity
of his proclaimed views on religious and political matters to the less
loudly expressed views of many members, who were reluctant to share his
opprobrium. 52 In any case, their unwillingness to admit him had little to
do with his science, which was seldom questioned by any of them. 53
Th e critique of his work aroused ire against Hobbes in England, but it
did little to dim his continental reputation. Moreover, aft er the Restoration
Hobbes returned to court and was considered one of its fi nest wits.
As a result, “Hobbism” became popular at court and among the young. 54
Royal favor and popular success, however, only intensifi ed attacks on
him. In part, this was because the libertinism of Charles II and his court
was oft en wrongly attributed to his infl uence. 55 Th e anger of his enemies
was so pronounced that, aft er the London Fire in 1666, a number of radical
parliamentarians argued the disaster was divine punishment for sin
and suggested that Hobbes was its cause. Th ey appointed a committee to
investigate him and consider charging him with atheism. 56 Hobbes was
frightened and, according to Aubrey, burned some of his papers, but the
king came to his defense, although he required Hobbes to cease publishing
polemical works. Hobbes continued to write, producing Behemoth, his