Civil Religion: A Dialogue in the History of Political PhilosophyCivil Religion offers philosophical commentaries on more than twenty thinkers stretching from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. It examines four important traditions within the history of modern political philosophy. The civil religion tradition, principally defined by Machiavelli, Hobbes and Rousseau, seeks to domesticate religion by putting it solidly in the service of politics. The liberal tradition pursues an alternative strategy of domestication by seeking to put as much distance as possible between religion and politics. Modern theocracy is a militant reaction against liberalism, reversing the relationship of subordination asserted by civil religion. Finally, a fourth tradition is defined by Nietzsche and Heidegger. Aspects of their thought are not just modern, but hyper-modern, yet they manifest an often-hysterical reaction against liberalism that is fundamentally shared with the theocratic tradition. Together, these four traditions compose a vital dialogue that carries us to the heart of political philosophy itself. |
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
17 | |
Moses and Mohammed as FounderPrinces or Legislators | 29 |
Machiavellis Debt to Christianity | 37 |
Judaicization of Christianity | 46 |
Hobbesian Theocracy versus the Real Thing | 61 |
The Apparent Availability of | 73 |
Adam Smiths Sequel to Hume and Hobbes | 237 |
Tocquevilles Response to Rousseau | 249 |
John Stuart Mills Project to Turn Atheism into a Religion | 259 |
Mills Critics | 268 |
John Rawlss Genealogy of Liberalism | 283 |
Montesquieu versus Machiavelli Rousseau and Nietzsche | 301 |
THEOCRATIC RESPONSES TO LIBERALISM | 307 |
The Theocratic Paradigm | 309 |
RESPONSES TO AND PARTIAL INCORPORATIONS OF CIVIL | 85 |
Problems in Spinozas Case for Liberalism | 113 |
Spinozas Interpretation of the Commonwealth of the Hebrews | 121 |
The Liberal Paradigm | 147 |
Locke and John Toland | 156 |
Bayles Republic of Atheists | 176 |
Montesquieus Pluralized Civil Religion | 189 |
The Straussian Rejection of the Enlightenment as Applied to Bayle and Montesquieu | 199 |
Rousseau and Kant | 205 |
Hume as a Successor to Bayle | 229 |
Maistrean Politics | 343 |
Theocracy versus Civil Religion | 353 |
Carl Schmitts Theocratic Critique of Hobbes | 359 |
POSTMODERN THEISM NIETZSCHE AND HEIDEGGERS CONTINUING REVOLT AGAINST LIBERALISM | 369 |
The Twentieth Century Confronts the Death of God | 371 |
Nietzsches Civil Religion | 374 |
The Longing for New Gods | 395 |
Conclusion | 409 |
421 | |
Other editions - View all
Civil Religion: A Dialogue in the History of Political Philosophy Ronald Beiner No preview available - 2010 |
Civil Religion: A Dialogue in the History of Political Philosophy Ronald Beiner No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
argument authority Bayle believe Cambridge University Press Catholic Catholicism challenge chapter Chicago Press Christianity church citizens civic civil religion claim committed comprehensive doctrines conception concerning critique deism Discourses Discourses on Livy discussion divine Emile Enlightenment esotericism Essays faith gods Hebrews Heidegger Hobbes Hobbes's Hobbesian human Hume Ibid idea intellectual interpretation Islam Jesus Jewish Joseph de Maistre Kant laws Leo Strauss Letter Leviathan Locke Locke's Machiavelli Maistre Maistre's Messiah metaphysical Mill modern Montesquieu moral Morley Moses natural Nietzsche Nietzsche's offers Old Testament pagan Pierre Bayle piety Political Liberalism political philosophy possible priests principle problem prophets Protestantism punishment question radical Rawls Reasonableness of Christianity refers regime religious revelation Rousseau Schmitt Scripture secular sense Social Contract sovereign sovereignty Spinoza spirit Strauss suggests T]he theism theme theocracy theocratic Theological-Political Treatise theology thinkers Thomas Hobbes Tocqueville Toland toleration tradition trans true virtue