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The frontispiece of Leviathan as a visual source of interpretation of Thomas Hobbes’ ideas on demonology // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2025. Issue 1 (43). P. 168-180

The frontispiece of Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil (painted by the French engraver Abraham Bosse in 1651 in collaboration with Thomas Hobbes) is an important component of the political work. The figure of a “huge man” holding a sword and a bishop’s staff marks the identity of secular and spiritual authority. The richness of Hobbes’ work and the multitude of themes it contains force us to turn to the frontispiece as a visual source. This paper is particularly interested in Hobbes's demonology. The choice of this theme is explained by the reference to the context and the work of the English philosopher himself. In terms of the context, the seventeenth century appears as the historical period which unfolds the debate about demonology in England. From the point of view of the text, it is confirmed that the work is structured in such a way that Hobbes transitions from the themes of human nature, politics and theology to a critical dissection of demonological views. The relationship between demonology and the frontispiece is contradictory. On the one hand, the image of Leviathan is associated with demonology. On the other hand, the image of the “huge man” does not contain explicit references to demonology. In order to reconcile this contradiction, I identify the main interpretative aspects of the frontispiece. First of all, it is necessary to understand how the frontispiece outlines Hobbes’s political model. I further turn to the topic of images in Hobbes’ works to highlight their main functions within political philosophy. Finally, building on the previous tasks, I identify the interpretive aspects of the frontispiece in relation to demonology. The main visual components of the frontispiece are the reference to a verse from the Old Testament, more specifically the Book of Job, the symbols of secular and spiritual authority (sword and bishop’s staff), and the people who make up the body of the “huge man” (“μάκρος ἄνθρωπος’”). Thus, the image of Leviathan reflects the main points of Hobbes’ text about the assembly of citizens to conclude a social contract. The ecclesiastical symbolism of the image creates a sense of Leviathan’s power through rights such as excommunication. It is noticed that people turn their gaze to the face of Leviathan (sovereign), to whom they owe the coming of peace and protection. The concentration of the gaze on the sovereign also demonstrates the psychological nature in the civil state. Further, I note that the image carries the functions of remembering, honouring and arousing fear of violent death. I show that one of the visual components of the frontispiece is the set included in the body of Leviathan. This component is associated with the demonological logic about the plurality of the devil, which does not have a single face. A curious point is that humans look at Leviathan through his eyes and are supposed see a world devoid of supernatural entities. As a result, we wonder: could the image of Leviathan be used against Hobbes’ political conception, given the polysemantic nature of the frontispiece?

Keywords: Thomas Hobbes, frontispiece, Leviathan, demonology, history of philosophy

Metaphorical language in the political philosophy of Plato and Aristotle // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2025. Issue 3 (45). P. 215-236

According to Ankersmit, the fundamental role of metaphor in political philosophy has long been neglected. Today, however, the situation has changed: metaphor is no longer seen merely as a linguistic trope or poetic embellishment. It has become a key component of everyday language, thought, and practice, shaping our perception of the world around us. The aim of this article is to identify metaphors in the political philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. For this purpose, the article adopts George Lakoff's definition of metaphor, which understands it as experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another. The primary sources for the analysis are Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics. Analyzing Book IV of Plato's Republic, we can conclude that the metaphor of personification establishes a connection between the human soul and the polis. Plato's organicist conception of the polis relies not only on this analogy but also incorporates metaphors drawn from the realms of art and magic. For example, Plato frequently refers to the art of dyeing and compares the virtue of prudence to the harmony of musical strings. In contrast, Aristotle's Politics employs a different configuration of metaphors. While he also uses personification, his metaphors are more spatial and relational in nature. Among them, Aristotle employs metonymy when defining the polis as a community. A particularly prominent metaphor is that of the ship, symbolizing governance and the quest for a prosperous journey. The open lecture explored the metaphorical dimensions of political philosophy and pedagogical thought in the works of Plato and Aristotle. It demonstrated that metaphors help bridge politics and pedagogy. Plato's simile linking the human soul and the polis implies, among other things, that musical (μουσική) education is essential for perfecting the soul and securing a proper place within the polis. The presence of spatial metaphors in Aristotle reveals a different pedagogical concept, where issues of upbringing and education are inextricably linked to the structure of the state and the original class position of the citizen. The discussion explains that the origins of the Platonic metaphors mentioned lie in the idea of the microcosm, the interest in magic in fifth-century B.C. Athens, and the ancient Greek category of τέχνη. As for the origins of Aristotelian metaphors, it has been noted that they are related, on the one hand, to the geographical setting of ancient civilization, and, on the other, to the Greeks' contemporary notions of autonomous space and fear of the sea. Among other things, the novelty of this study lies in the following statements. Firstly, it is shown that Plato's organicist metaphor of the polis involves not only the likening of the polis and man but also the incorporation of non-organicist metaphors related to magic and τέχνη. Secondly, it is argued that an analysis of Aristotle's Politics reveals that metaphors are capable of reinforcing the ideological components of political teachings, as well as reflecting existing social representations of political issues.

Keywords: metaphor, political philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, polis, community