Classical Rationalism And The Politics Of Europe

Dramatic changes have occurred in Europe in the past quarter century. The fall of communism and the expansion of liberal democracy, together with the desire to project a new “Europa” that is united, peaceful and prosperous into the future, illustrate that political philosophy is what grounds European political discourse and identity. Thus, an understanding of Europe’s political past and potential future directs us to the question: What is political philosophy? An exploration of the question of political philosophy points us back to Socrates, widely regarded as the first political philosopher, or the first philosopher to make human beings central to philosophic inquiry. Scholars such as Thomas Pangle suggest that a revival of the study of Socratic political philosophy will revive serious consideration of the questions of justice or how one ought to live, and demonstrate that classical rationalism is the essential dialectical partner and interrogator of the political theology of Scripture/scripture(s). Classical rationalism in this context is understood as a necessary alternative to modern liberalism, inadequate to the task of taking questions of justice seriously as it insists on regarding all religious claims and understandings of virtue as private preferences rather than definitive of the public sphere, and contemporary postmodernism, which has abandoned rationalism altogether by rejecting any truth claims not understood as relative. This volume explores Socratic rationalism, the major alternatives to it in the history of political philosophy, the potential impact of returning to it in contemporary times, and related themes. It takes a multifaceted approach with contributions from scholars in the fields of philosophy and political science.

Since its origins during the period of Enlightenment, Rationalism has evolved over the course of time, responding to changes in creative, intellectual and political thought. In this comprehensive study, the nature of twentieth century Rationalism is given detailed consideration as the progression of the movement is traced from the thirties through to Neo-Rationalism and the present day. The study is organised clearly into sections to facilitate understanding of the movement's developments this century. The work of all architects included in this book is presented in an extensive graphic and visual manner to bring forth the spirit and tradition of the Rationalist ethos. The work of architects no longer alive today has been redrawn with extreme care to illuminate the original concept and meaning of these projects.

This study describes the period of great changes in European history - the decline in the belief of magic and miracles and emerging of the new way of thinking which has brought the rise of religious persecution, the gradual secularization of politics and the rise of toleration and rationalism. Contents: Rationalism in Europe On the Declining Sense of the Miraculous Magic and Witchcraft On the Declining Sense of the Miraculous The Miracles of the Church Aesthetic, Scientific, and Moral Developments of Rationalism On Persecution The Antecedents of Persecution The Secularisation of Politics The Industrial History of Rationalism

This study describes the period of great changes in European history - the decline in the belief of magic and miracles and emerging of the new way of thinking which has brought the rise of religious persecution, the gradual secularization of politics and the rise of toleration and rationalism. Contents: Rationalism in Europe On the Declining Sense of the Miraculous Magic and Witchcraft On the Declining Sense of the Miraculous The Miracles of the Church Aesthetic, Scientific, and Moral Developments of Rationalism On Persecution The Antecedents of Persecution The Secularisation of Politics The Industrial History of Rationalism

A life of liberty and responsibility does not just happen, but requires a particular kind of education, one that aims at both a growth of the human soul and an enrichment of political society in justice and the common good. This we call a liberal education. Forgetfulness of liberty is also a forgetfulness of the multi-dimensional nature of the human person, and a diminution of political life. Keeping in mind what can be lost when liberal education is lost, this volume makes the case for recovering what is perennially noble and good in the liberal arts, and why the liberal arts always have a role to play in human flourishing. Each of the authors herein focuses on the connection of three primary themes: human dignity, liberal education, and political society. Intentionally rooted in the hub that joins the three themes, each author seeks to unfold the contemporary significance of that hub. As a whole, the volume explores how the three themes are crucial to each other: how they illuminate each other, how they need each other, and how the loss of one jeopardizes the wellbeing of the others. In individual chapters, the authors engage various relevant aspects of liberal education. As a result, the volume is organized into three parts: Liberal Education and a Life Well Lived; Thinkers on Dignity and Education in History; Contemporary Topics in Dignity and Education. As education is increasingly channeled into an ever more narrow focus on technical specialization, and measured against professional success, students themselves face a maelstrom of campus politics and competing political orthodoxies. These are among the issues that tend to militate against the operative liberty of the student to think and to speak as a person. This edited collection is offered as an invitation to think again about the liberal arts in order to recover the meaning of education as the authentic pursuit of the good life or eudemonia.

This book examines the basic tenets of nation, nationalism and citizenship. It explores the relevance of the nation-state to human freedom and flourishing, as well as the concept of citizenship that it implies, in contrast to that of the ancient polis and the "global community." The volume focusses on the shifting notions of various political concepts over time to present a systematic understanding of core concepts such as polis, nation and state from antiquity to the present. It includes contributions that analyze ancient and modern thought, and sections that address postmodern and contemporary thinkers, including Aristotle, Cicero, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Nietzsche, Arendt, Weil, Grant and Manent. A comprehensive handbook to introductory politics, this book will be invaluable to students and teachers of political science, especially political theory, political philosophy, democracy, political participation and international relations theory.