ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the peculiar absence of Hobbesian theory from contemporary public policy debates. It also examines a "bio-political aporia" that is at the center of the Hobbesian system. The book employs a distinctively Hobbesian approach to deducing the governing norms of medicine. It argues for a Hobbesian-inspired defense of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The book discusses the historical treatment of suicide, and then details how Hobbes's theoretical commitments lead him to a more secular and medical approach. It provides a Hobbesian perspective regarding the grounding/nature of the obligation to secure a patient's informed consent. The book also provides an excellent analysis of what a Hobbesian theory regarding alcohol consumption might, ethically and politically, entail. It shows how Hobbes would treat individuals who refuse to accept some aspects of the sovereign's authority, all the while remaining within the borders of the commonwealth.
