History of Political Ideas

出版者:University of Missouri

作者:Eric Voegelin

页数:320

出版时间:1998-6-25

价格:USD 50.00

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9780826211552

具体描述

By closely examining the sources, movements, and persons of the Renaissance and the Reformation, Voegelin reveals the roots of today's political ideologies in this fourth volume of his History of Political Ideas. This insightful study lays the groundwork for Voegelin's critique of the modern period and is essential to an understanding of his later analysis.

Voegelin identifies not one but two distinct beginnings of the movement toward modern political consciousness: the Renaissance and the Reformation. Historically, however, the powerful effects of the second have overshadowed the first. In this book, Voegelin carefully examines both periods and their presence in modern thought.

The Renaissance, represented by the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, Desiderius Erasmus, and Thomas More, is characterized by a struggle for balance. Machiavelli and Erasmus both looked to a virtuous prince to achieve order, one calling for brute force and the other for Christian spirituality to reach their goal. Also a participant in the first beginning of modernity, More was a complex thinker identified as a saint both of the church and of the communist movement. The issues he explored in Utopia, as Voegelin demonstrates, indirectly gave rise to concepts that have profoundly affected Western history: colonization, imperialism, national socialism, and communism.

Exploring the transition from the Renaissance to the Reformation is a brilliant chapter, "The People of God," which examines the sectarian movement. These pages contain the rich historical background that led to Voegelin's later conclusions about Gnosticism and its modern influences.

Voegelin offers a controversial view of the Reformation as well as the political and religious situation directly preceding it. Yet he sheds light on the strengths and inadequacies of its key figures, Martin Luther and John Calvin. The driving force behind the Reformation stemmed solely from the powerful personality of Luther. What began as an abstract, purely technical discussion developed into a full-blown revolt. Later in the period, Calvin confronted the problems left behind by Luther and endeavored to create his own universal church to supplant the Catholic Church. His theory of a new elite would have a distinct impact on history.

By examining the political ideas that first emerged during the Renaissance and Reformation, this fascinating volume provides a foundation for understanding the events of centuries to follow.

作者简介

About the Editors

David L. Morse is Senior Pastor of Monroeville United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Theology Department at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He has written his doctoral dissertation on Eric Voegelin.

William M. Thompson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Duquesne University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Voegelin and the Theologian: Ten Essays in Interpretation.

About the Author

Eric Voegelin (1901-1985) was one of the most original and influential philosophers of our time. Born in Cologne, Germany, he studied at the University of Vienna, where he became a professor of political science in the Faculty of Law. In 1938, he and his wife, fleeing Hitler, emigrated to the United States. They became American citizens in 1944. Voegelin spent much of his career at Louisiana State University, the University of Munich, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. During his lifetime he published many books and more than one hundred articles. The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin will make available in a uniform edition all of Voegelin's major writings.

History of Political Ideas

Series Editor, Ellis Sandoz

I. Hellenism, Rome, and Early Christianity

Edited by Athanasios Moulakis

II. The Middle Ages to Aquinas

Edited by Peter von Sivers

III. The Later Middle Ages

Edited by David Walsh

IV. Renaissance and Reformation

Edited by David L. Morse and William M. Thompson

V. Religion and the Rise of Modernity

Edited by James L. Wiser

VI. Revolution and the New Science

Edited by Barry Cooper

VII. The New Order and Last Orientation

Edited by Jürgen Gebhardt and Thomas A. Hollweck

VIII. Crisis and the Apocalypse of Man

Edited by David Walsh

目录信息

Part Four. The Modern World
1. The Order of Power: Machiavelli 31
§1. Biographical--Machiavelli and Guicciardini 32
§2. The Problems of the Age--The Trauma of 1494 34
§3. The Italian Tradition 38
a. Cardinal Albornoz
b. Coluccio Salutati
c. Humanistic Historiography
§4. The Asiatic Background 42
a. The Shadow of Asia
b. Poggio Bracciolini
c. The Vita Tamerlani
d. Conclusion
§5. The Vita di Castruccio Castracani 55
§6. The Discorsi 59
§7. The Principe 72
§8. Conclusion 82
2. The Order of Reason: Erasmus and More 88
§1. The Year 1516 89
§2. The Christianity of Erasmus 91
§3. The Ascetic Prince and the Vulgus 97
§4. The Range of Princely Asceticism 101
§5. Erasmus on War 104
§6. The Problem of Power 105
§7. Utopia and America 109
§8. Somewhere and Nowhere 113
§9. Pride and Property 119
§10. Utopian Warfare 125
3. The People of God 131
§1. Institution and Movement 131
§2. Periodization of the Movement 136
§3. The Range of the Movement 138
§4. Church and Sect 140
§5. Reform and Anticivilizational Effects 143
§6. A Glimpse of Sion's Glory 145
§7. The Social Structure of the Movement 148
§8. Eastern Influences on the Western Movement--Dionysius Areopagita 151
§9. The Ideas of the Movements 157
a. The Albigensians
b. Erigena
c. The Two Worlds
d. A Sermon by Thomas Collier
e. The Queries to Lord Fairfax
f. Activism and Nihilism
§10. The Free Spirit 177
a. State of the Problem
b. The Ortliebians
c. Beguinism桬ckhart
d. The Ninth Rock 桽tupor and Outburst
e. The Paracletes
f. Hieronymus Bosch
§11. Apollonian Imperium 201
a. Burdach's Conception of the Renaissance
b. Boniface VIII桾he Homo Spiritualis
c. Dante桰ntellect and Grace
d. Conclusion
Part Five. The Great Confusion
1. The Great Confusion I: Luther and Calvin 217
§1. Press and Public 218
§2. The Schism--The Disputation of Leipzig 220
§3. The Historicity of Symbols--Church and Transubstantiation 223
§4. The Ninety-Five Theses 228
§5. The Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation 231
§6. Justification through Faith 248
§7. Afterthoughts 260
§8. Calvin and Predestination 268
· · · · · · (收起)

用户评价

我必须说，这本书的内容确实相当详实，让我有一种沉浸式的阅读体验。作者在探讨政治思想的演变时，并没有局限于某个特定时期或地理区域，而是以一种宏大的视角，将东方与西方的思想传统巧妙地融合在一起。我看到了孔子关于仁政的思考，是如何与古希腊哲学家们的城邦理想相互呼应；我也看到了伊斯兰世界的政治哲学，是如何在吸收前人智慧的同时，也发展出独特的政治实践。这种跨文化的比较，让我对政治思想的普适性与特殊性有了更清晰的认识。书中的每一个章节都充满了引人入胜的细节，从早期的部落政治到近代的民族国家，再到现代的全球治理，作者都为我们勾勒出了清晰的演进图景。我尤其喜欢作者在分析不同思想流派时，那种严谨而又不失批判性的态度，他既肯定了这些思想的价值，也指出了它们可能存在的局限性。这本书不仅仅是一部政治思想史的梳理，更是一部关于人类如何思考权力、如何构建社会、如何追求更好生活的史诗。我从中学习到了很多新的概念和理论，也对一些熟悉的思想有了全新的认识。它就像一个巨大的宝库，每次翻阅都能发现新的闪光点，让我对人类文明的复杂性和多样性有了更深的敬意。

这本书简直就像一场跨越时空的思想盛宴，我读得津津有味，欲罢不能。作者以一种极其生动而富有洞察力的方式，将那些曾经塑造了我们今天世界的政治思想，栩栩如生地呈现在我眼前。我仿佛置身于古希腊的广场，聆听柏拉图关于理想国的遐想；又仿佛漫步于文艺复兴的佛罗伦萨，感受马基雅维利对权力运作的冷峻剖析。那些关于自由、平等、正义、主权的概念，不再是书本上冰冷的文字，而是有了血有肉的生命，它们在不同的时代背景下，在伟大的思想家们手中，被反复打磨、辩驳、升华。我尤其惊叹于作者的叙事能力，他没有简单地罗列观点，而是将政治思想的发展脉络梳理得清晰可见，让我们能够理解为何某个思想会在特定时期应运而生，又如何影响了后续的政治实践。读完这本书，我对人类政治文明的演进有了更深刻的理解，也更能体会到那些看似遥远的哲学思辨，与我们当下的生活息息相关。它让我开始反思，我们今天所持有的许多政治信念，究竟源自何处，又将走向何方。这绝对是一本值得反复品读的经典之作，它不仅拓展了我的知识边界，更启发了我对世界运行规律的深层思考，让我看到了思想的力量是如何在历史长河中激荡前行，最终改变了无数人的命运。

这本《History of Political Ideas》的阅读体验，就像是在一个巨大的知识迷宫中探索，每一步都充满了惊喜和挑战。作者在构建这本书的时候，显然是下足了功夫，他将纷繁复杂的政治思想，以一种清晰且引人入胜的方式呈现出来。我看到了古罗马的共和理念是如何影响了后来的西方政治制度，也看到了中国古代的儒家思想是如何在不同朝代被解读和应用。书中的论述逻辑严密，层层递进，让我能够更好地理解不同思想之间的关联。我尤其欣赏作者在处理那些争议性较大的政治思想时，所展现出的那种客观和公正的态度，他并没有简单地褒贬，而是试图去理解其产生的历史背景和社会动因。我感觉自己就像一个历史的观察者，在静静地看着那些伟大的思想家们，如何为人类的政治未来献计献策，又如何承受着时代的压力和挑战。这本书让我对政治的理解不再停留在表面的权力斗争，而是深入到了思想的根源。它让我明白，我们今天所处的社会，并非凭空出现，而是无数思想交锋、演变的结果。读完这本书，我感觉自己的视野更加开阔，思考也更加深入，对人类文明的未来也充满了更多的期待。

这本书给我带来的冲击是前所未有的，它彻底颠覆了我过去对政治的认知。作者以一种极其宏观的视角，将政治思想的发展置于人类文明的宏大叙事之中，让我看到了那些曾经被忽视的联系和影响。我原本以为政治思想只是少数精英的 intellectual pursuit，但这本书让我明白，它们实际上是社会变革最直接的催化剂。从霍布斯的“丛林法则”到马克思的阶级斗争，再到当代的后现代主义思潮，作者为我描绘了一幅波澜壮阔的思想画卷。我感受到了不同思想流派之间的激烈碰撞和辩论，也看到了它们是如何在历史的长河中相互作用，最终塑造了我们今天的政治格局。书中的很多观点都让我耳目一新，甚至可以说是令人震惊。例如，作者对于某些看似进步的思想，所提出的深刻质疑，让我不得不重新审视它们是否真的如我们所想象的那般完美。这本书不仅仅是知识的传递，更是一种思维方式的启迪。它鼓励我勇于挑战权威，不盲从于任何一种既定的思想体系，而是要学会独立思考，形成自己的判断。我强烈推荐这本书给所有对人类文明和政治演进感兴趣的读者，它一定会让你收获满满。

坦白说，这本书的学术深度令人印象深刻，但其表述方式却意外地易于理解，这对于我这样的普通读者来说，无疑是一大福音。作者并没有使用过于晦涩的专业术语，而是善于用生动的语言和贴切的比喻，将复杂的政治哲学概念解释得一目了然。我感觉自己就像在和一位博学的智者对话，他耐心地引导我一步步深入了解那些抽象的政治思想。从早期的神权统治到后来的君权神授，再到民主共和的兴起，作者为我们展现了政治思想是如何随着社会的发展而不断革新的。我尤其欣赏作者在梳理卢梭、洛克、孟德斯鸠等启蒙思想家观点时，所展现出的那种细致入微的分析，他不仅讲解了他们的核心思想，更重要的是，他揭示了这些思想是如何在当时的社会现实中孕育而生，又如何最终引发了革命和改革。这本书让我看到了思想的力量是如何能够超越时间和空间的限制，对人类社会产生深远的影响。它鼓励我跳出固有的思维模式，去审视那些我们习以为常的政治制度和观念，思考它们背后隐藏的逻辑和价值。我感觉自己不仅在学习政治思想史，更是在学习如何批判性地思考，如何更深入地理解我们所处的世界。