Founding Father's Library

This is the aforementioned Founding Father's Library (taken from the Online Library of Liberty website). I thought that it would be productive to post the full reading list included on the website, in a way to keep track of our progress of reading the lot. I have included the book title, author, and its publication date as good as I could determine. I have then organized the book list chronologically according to those publication dates. I will highlight the book(s) I am currently reading from the list. Each time I finish a book, I will strikethrough the title of the book on my list here and repost the updated list.  

Founding Father's Library 

(in chronological order by date of publication)

http://oll.libertyfund.org/pages/founding-father-s-library

Ancient

De Legibus -- Cicero (106-43 BC)

De Officiis -- Cicero (106-43 BC)

De Oratione -- Cicero (106-43 BC)

De Republica -- Cicero (106-43 BC)

History of Rome -- Titus Livius (Livy) (59BC - AD17)

Roman Lives -- Plutarch (c. 46-125)

History of Germany -- Tacitus (c. 56-120)

The Histories -- Tacitus (c. 56-120)

1500s

1531 -- Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy (1531) -- Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)

1532 -- The Prince (1532) -- Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)

1600s

1605 -- The Advancement of Learning (1605) --Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

1620 -- Novum organum (1620) -- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

1623 -- De argumentis scientarum (1623) -- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

1625 -- Essays (1625) -- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

1625 -- On the Law of War and Peace (1625) -- Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)

1627 -- The New Atlantis (1627) -- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

1644 -- Institutes of the Laws of England (1628-1644) -- Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634)

**1651 -- Leviathan (1651) -- Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)**

1656 -- Oceana (1656) -- James Harrington (1611-1677)

1660 -- The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth (1660) -- John Milton (1608-1674)

1661 --Elementa Jurisprudentiae universalis (1661) -- Samuel, Baron von Pufendorf (1632-1694)

1672 -- De jure naturae et gentium (1672) -- Samuel, Baron von Pufendorf (1632-1694)

1680 -- The Antient Right of the Commons of England Asserted (1680) -- William Petyt (1636-1707) 

1689 -- The Two Treatises of Civil Government (1689) -- John Locke (1632-1704)

1690s -- A Letter on Toleration An Essay concerning Human Understanding(1690s) -- John Locke (1632-1704)

1690 --An Essay concerning Human Understanding (1690) -- John Locke (1632-1704)

1691 --Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest and Raising the Value of Money (1691) -- John Locke (1632-1704)

1696 -- On the Reasonableness of Christianity (1696) -- John Locke (1632-1704)

1698 -- Discourses Concerning Government (1698) -- Algernon Sidney (1622-1683)

1698 -- A Short History of Standing Armies iin England (1698) -- John Trenchard and Moyle

1700s

1709 -- Vox populi, vox dei: Judgement of Kingdooms and Nations Concerning the Rights, Privileges, and Properties of the People (1709) -- John Somers (1651-1716)

1724 -- Cato's Letters (1724) -- John Trenchard (1662-1723) & Thomas Gordon (?-1750)

1728 -- The Dunciad (1728) -- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

1731 -- Of False Taste (1731) -- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

1731 -- History of England (1726-31) -- Paul de Rapiin-Thoyras (1661-1725)

1732 -- Of the Uses of Riches (1732) -- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

1733 -- The Freeholder's Political Catechism (1733) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1733 -- Letters on the English Nation (1733) -- Francois Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778)

1734 -- Persian Letters (1734) -- Montesquieu (1689-1755)

1734 -- Reflections on the Causes of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire (1734) -- Montesquieu (1689-1755)

1734 -- An Essay on Man (1733-34) -- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

1735 -- A Dissertation Upon Parties (1735) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1740 -- A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-1740) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1740 -- Observations on the Romans (1740) -- Abbe Gabriel Mably (1709-1785)

1743 -- Remarks on the history of England (1743) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1748 -- The Spirit of the Laws (1748) -- Montesquieu (1689-1755)

1749 -- The Idea of a Patriot King (1749) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1749 -- A Letter on the Spirit of Patriotism (1749) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1751 -- An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1751) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1751 -- Treatise: An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1751 -- Works (1751) -- Francois Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778)

1752 -- Political Discourses (1752) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1752 -- Letters on the Study and Use of History (1752) -- Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751)

1754 -- Discourse on the Origin of the Inequality of Men (1754) -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

1755 -- The Natural History of Religion (1755) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1756 -- General History and State of Europe (1756) -- Francois Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778)

1759 -- History of Scotland (1759) -- William Robertson (1721-1793)

1760 -- The Law of Nations (1759-1760) -- Emerich de Vattel (1714-1767)

1762 -- History of England(1754-1762) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1762 -- The Social Contract (1762) -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

1762 -- Emile (1762) -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

1764 -- An Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1764) -- Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)

1769 -- Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-69) -- Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780)

1769 -- History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V (1769) -- William Robertson (1721-1793)

1770 -- Philosophical & Political History of ... the East & West Indies (1770) -- Abbe Guillaume Raynal (1713-1796)

1771 -- The Consitution of England (1771) -- Jean Louis Delolme (1740-1805)

1776 -- Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty (1776) -- Richard Price (1723-1791)

Post-American Revolution

1777 -- History of America (1777) -- William Robertson (1721-1793)

1779 -- Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) -- David Hume (1711-1776)

1784 -- Observations on the Importance of the American Revolution (1784) -- Richard Price (1723-1791)

1784 -- Observations on the Government and Laws of the U.S. (1784) -- Abbe Gabriel Mably (1709-1785)

1790--Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) -- Edmund Burke

1800s

1835--Demoncracy in America, Vol.1 (1835) -- Alexis de Tocqueville

1840--Demoncracy in America, Vol.2 (1840) -- Alexis de Tocqueville

Other Authors Named, But Without Specific Works Mentioned

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Coxe (Sir Edward Coke?)

Plato (c. 427-347 BC)

John Robinson (1575-1625), reverend of the Pilgrims

BOOK REVIEW#1: LEVIATHAN by Hobbes -- Intro.2

LEVIATHAN (or The Matter, Forme, and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil)

By Thomas Hobbes

1651

"The Introduction," continued

Back to Leviathan. Let's talk about the image of Leviathan itself. I'll list the parts, but will have comment for only a few of them. I'll list them in different groups. The first group describes the Soul and central nervous system of Leviathan. 

1.1) Artificial Soul. Today, we might call it Soul, the brain, the mind, the spirit, or something else. But whatever word you use, it seems clear that this life-source part is considered by Hobbes to be the control center of the Artificial Body. And what is the Life-Source of Hobbes' Commonwealth? What is the proverbial Soul of Leviathan according to Hobbes? It is the Sovereignty, or ruler(s) of the Commonwealth. While the exact definition of Hobbes' sovereignty has not been provided in this section, this symbol alone seems to suggest to me that the system of government embodied in Hobbes' Leviathan is some breed of totalitarian government, likely absolute monarchy, but we will have to wait and see. This is only the first paragraph of the book (not including the dedication) after all.

1.2) Business (as in the central goal or purpose) of the Commonwealth is the "Peoples Safety." This was briefly discussed above. But 'safety against what?' is still unclear at this point.

1.3) Reason or Will  are the actual commands of motion in the Limbs stemming from the Soul (that is to say, the Sovereign), and are symbols of Equity (the notion of fairness) and Laws together. 

1.4) Reward and Punishment (i.e., civil law) are represented by the Nerves, the parts that relay the commands from the Soul/Sovereign to the Limbs (magistrates). It is noteworthy to point out Hobbes does not use the word 'justice' to represent the Nerves. Is not the execution of the law what we would call 'Justice'? I could not wait to search for Hobbes' definition of 'justice,' that would prompt him to use a different word in this case. I found what I think is a clue in Chapter XIII. While I will address this quote more completely in a later post, I believe the select quote will be sufficient to answer my question. I reads as follows: 

To this warre of every man against every man, this also is consequent; that nothing can be Unjust. The notions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice have there no place. Where there is no common Power, there is no Law: where no Law, no Injustice. Force, and Fraud, are in warre the two Cardinall vertues. Justice, and Injustice are none of the Faculties neither of the Body, nor Mind. If they were, they might be in a man that were alone in the world, as well as his Senses, and Passions. They are Qualities, that relate to men in Society, not in Solitude. [...] (Chapter XIII, In Such A Warr, Nothing Is Unjust)

Notice to Hobbes juxtaposes the words 'Right' and 'Wrong' with 'Justice' and 'Injustice,' implying the connection, that Justice for Hobbes is more consistent with absolute Justice or absolute Good or absolute Correct or Moral (purposefully spelled with a capital 'M'). Could we say that Justice for Hobbes would be more like God's will? I'm not sure, since Hobbes also says that Justice and Injustice do not reside in Man's faculties individually, but only in Society. Suffices to say that Man's laws are not always in tandem with God's laws, so then maybe, for Hobbes, Justice is not the correct word to describe the will of the mortal man occupying the position of Sovereign. 

The next group of parts comprises the Body of Leviathan, or the people who carry out the Will of the Sovereign. Today, I’m pretty sure we would refer to the people comprising the Body of Leviathan as the governmental bureaucracy. 

2.1) Counsellors are the Memory.

2.2) Magistrates (administrators and also administrators of justice) represent what was hitherto called Limbs, that is to say the structure of the body, namely the skeleton and Joints, but also the range of motion of the structure. The Limbs carry out the commands/impulses from the Sovereign. 

The last group of analogous parts comprising Leviathan is a group of one, representing all subjects within the Commonwealth. Please note that this is the first and only part of the analogy that include the main body of the people (which I will call the Body Politic), which I imagine would include you or I in this image (unless you are a Magistrate or Counselor). I have enough commentary on this one that I think I shall make it a separate post.