Classical rationalism and the politics of Europe / edited by Ann Ward.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ward, Ann, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rationalism--Political aspects.

Rationalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (318 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Newcastle upon Tyne, England : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Intro

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter One

Part One: Historic, Poetic, and Philosophic Grounds of Classical Rationalism in Ancient Thought

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Part Two: Medieval Political Thought and the Classical Liberalism of Grotius and Hobbes

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Part Three: The Reconsideration of Classical Rationalism in Enlightenment Republicanism

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Part Four: Contemporary Reflections on the Relation of Classical Rationalism to Modern Democracy, Economics, and Education

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Contributors

Index.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (EBC, viewed February 15, 2018).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-5275-0686-X

OCLC:

1020286361