Hobbesian turn
- noun
- /ˈhɑːbziən tɜrn/
- Formal
:
giro hobbesiano
- After the political scandal, public opinion seemed to take a Hobbesian turn toward distrust and suspicion.
Examples
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The novelist's later works reflect a Hobbesian turn in their portrayal of society.
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The recent events prompted a Hobbesian turn in public opinion.
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The philosopher's argument marked a decisive Hobbesian turn in the field of social theory.
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Many philosophers discuss the Hobbesian turn in their lectures.
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After the political scandal, public opinion seemed to take a Hobbesian turn toward distrust and suspicion.
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The novelist's later works reflect a Hobbesian turn in their portrayal of society.
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The recent events prompted a Hobbesian turn in public opinion.
How Pessimistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'Hobbesian' names a Hobbes-like (pessimistic, authority-focused) stance and 'turn' denotes a change, so together they mean a shift toward a Hobbesian view. This follows a regular adjective+noun pattern (a 'X turn') that is predictable for learners who know the adjective's meaning.
Etymology
Hobbesian turn The noun Hobbesian turn comes from the thinker Thomas Hobbes, who imagined life without rules as 'nasty, brutish, and short', a dark picture of people. So a Hobbesian turn means a turn toward a more 'pessimistic' or 'cynical' view of human nature.