1st Edition

Eric Voegelin’s Political Readings From the Ancient Greeks to Modern Times

Edited By Bernat Torres, Josep Monserrat Molas Copyright 2022
    126 Pages
    by Routledge

    126 Pages
    by Routledge

    Eric Voegelin’s Political Readings fills a critical void by providing an original approach to studying the work of Eric Voegelin, one of the major political philosophers of the twenty-first century.

    Across six chapters, experts guide the reader from classical to modern times presenting six political philosophers who have had an impact on the life and philosophical production of Eric Voegelin. Philosophers examined include Plato, Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Hobbes, Weber and Kelsen. Through this innovative structure, the chapters collectively illustrate how Voegelin was an exceptional thinker through his engagement with political philosophers both modern and antique. The plurality of unique, academic perspectives and voices enriches our understanding of Voegelin’s own thought while also encouraging a re-think of ancient and modern thinkers, and the transformation and continuity between these.

    Designed for students and scholars alike, Eric Voegelin’s Political Readings will appeal to all those with an interest in Voegelin as well as readers familiar with classical and modern political philosophers.

    Foreword: The open dialogue

    Zdravko Planinc

    Introduction: Eric Voegelin’s search for order, between the past and the future

    Bernat Torres & Josep Monserrat

    1. Eric Voegelin’s reading of Plato: Discovering the soul as a source of order

    Bernat Torres

    2. Eric Voegelin’s reading of Aristotle: Exploring a new kind of philosophy

    Barry Cooper

    3. Eric Voegelin’s reading of Saint Augustine: Exploring the Symbolism of history and politics

    Nicoletta Scotti Muth

    4.Eric Voegelin’s reading of Hobbes: Restoration or destruction of the eschaton?

    Thierry Gontier

    5. Eric Voegelin’s readings of Max Weber: Struggling with the grip of scientistic rationalism

    Arpad Szakolczai

    6. Eric Voegelin’s debate with Hans Kelsen: Struggling with political modernity

    Bjørn Thomassen

    Biography

    Bernat Torres is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and secretary of the Societat Catalana de Filosofia (Institut d’Estudis Catalans), Barcelona, Spain. He is interested in Ancient Philosophy and Political Philosophy, as well as the Anthropology of Corporality and Health. Bernet Torres has been a  member of the Eric Voegelin Gesellschaft e.V. (EVG) since 2019.

    Josep Monserrat-Molas is Full Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University de Barcelona, Spain. He leads the research group EIDOS: Platonism and Modernity and he has been an evaluator of doctoral programs of the Ibero-American University Graduate Association.

    "This book provides a unique approach to understanding Voegelin by looking at how he read both ancient and modern thinkers and how these thinkers, in turn, influenced Voegelin’s own thought. By seeing how Voegelin read past political thinkers, we can see how Voeglein’s own thought is indebted and yet differed from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Hobbes, Weber, and Kelsen."

    Lee Trepanier, Professor of Political Science, Samford University

    "This collection fills an important gap concerning the work of Eric Voegelin: how did Voegelin engage over the course of his scholarly lifetime with his major philosophical interlocutors? What enduring influences did these thinkers have on his work?"

    Thomas Heilke, Professor of Political Science, The University of British Columbia