Moderation in All Things: Contribution for a Symposium on the Pragmatic Enlightenment by Dennis C
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Durham E-Theses
Durham E-Theses The political ideas of William Hazlitt (1778-1830) Garnett, Mark Alan How to cite: Garnett, Mark Alan (1990) The political ideas of William Hazlitt (1778-1830), Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6186/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk ABSTRACT OF A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, 1990. "The Political Ideas of William Hazlitt, 1778-1830" MARK ALAN GARNETT Department of Politics, Durham University. The purpose of the thesis was to examine William Hazlitt's political thought from the viewpoint of the history of ideas. Such a study should lead to a greater appreciation of his value as a political critic. The received notion that he was a radical provided a starting-point for investigation. Hazlitt's theoretical work in philosophy and politics was found to be of interest, but his views on contemporary personalities and events are more revealing. -
Disraeli and the Early Victorian ‘History Wars’ – Daniel Laurie-Fletcher
Disraeli and the Early Victorian ‘History Wars’ – Daniel Laurie-Fletcher FJHP Volume 25 (2008 ) Disraeli and the Early Victorian ‘History Wars’ Daniel Laurie-Fletcher Flinders University The American historian, Gertrude Himmelfarb, once put the question: ‘Who now reads Macaulay?’ Her own reply to the rhetorical question was: Who, that is, except those who have a professional interest in him–and professional in a special sense: not historians who might be expected to take pride in one of their most illustrious ancestors, but only those who happen to be writing treatises about him. In fact, most professional historians have long since given up reading Macaulay, as they have given up writing the kind of history he wrote and thinking about it as he did. i The kind of history and thinking Himmelfarb was referring to is the ‘Whig interpretation of history’ which is one based on a grand narrative that demonstrated a path of inevitable political and economic progress, a view made famous by the Whig politician and historian Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859). ii In his History of England: From the Accession of James II (1848-1860), Macaulay maintained that the development of political institutions of the nation had brought increased liberties accompanied by the growth of economic prosperity. Macaulay’s study was begun when the educated classes of early Victorian Britain held a widespread fear of a French-style revolution during a time of extensive social, economic and political change. Many, in order to cope with such changes, looked to British history to yield role models as well as cautionary tales of what to avoid in creating a better society. -
Toward Liberalism: Politics, Poverty, and the Emotions in the 1790S Peter Denney Griffith University
Toward Liberalism: Politics, Poverty, and the Emotions in the 1790s Peter Denney Griffith University I n the volatile atmosphere of the mid-1840s, the leading exponent of Victorian liber- alism, John Stuart Mill, published an essay in the Edinburgh Review in which he rejected the assumption that political economy encompassed a “hard-hearted, unfeeling” approach Ito the question of poverty.1 Entitled “The Claims of Labour,” a major purpose of the essay was to advocate self-help as the key to improving the condition of the laboring classes. According to Mill, the promotion of self-help was an urgent matter, for there had been a revival of the belief that the situation of the poor could be ameliorated either by charity or by the redistribution of property. It was as if people had forgotten the population theory of Thomas Robert Malthus, who, beginning in the late 1790s, argued that such schemes exacerbated the problem of poverty by discouraging the laboring classes from developing qualities like restraint and industriousness that were crucial not just to their improvement but to their survival. Radical and conservative critics alike condemned Malthus both for the bleakness of his theory and for the cold, calcu- lating attitude it seemed to endorse. While understanding such criticism, Mill dismissed these detractors as the “sentimental enemies of political economy.”2 At the same time, he insisted that political economy was compatible with sympathy, if not with sentimentality. If interpreted cor- rectly, it generated a view of the poor that mixed empirical observations with positive emotions, producing a sense of optimism regarding the future of the laboring classes. -
Moral Relativism and Human Rights
Buffalo Human Rights Law Review Volume 13 Article 6 9-1-2007 Moral Relativism and Human Rights Torben Spaak Uppsala University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bhrlr Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, and the Human Rights Law Commons Recommended Citation Torben Spaak, Moral Relativism and Human Rights, 13 Buff. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 73 (2007). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bhrlr/vol13/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Buffalo Human Rights Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Moral Relativism and Human Rights Torben Spaak* 1. INTRODUCTION Politicians, human rights activists, scholars, and others disagree about whether human rights are universally true or valid or only true or valid relative to a given culture.1 Jack Donnelly, for example, defends (what he refers to as) the moral universality of human rights: If human rights are the rights one has simply because one is a human being, as they are usually thought to be, then they are held "universally," by all human beings. They also hold "universally" against all other persons and institutions. As the highest moral rights, they regulate the fundamental structures and practices of political life, and in ordinary cir- cumstances they take priority over other moral, legal, and political claims. These distinctions encompass what I call 2 the moral universality of human rights. -
Globalizing Bentham
Globalizing Jeremy Bentham The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Armitage, David R. 2011. Globalizing Jeremy Bentham. History of Political Thought 32(1): 63-82. Published Version http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/ hpt/2011/00000032/00000001/art00004 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11211544 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP - 1 - GLOBALIZING JEREMY BENTHAM1 David Armitage2 Abstract: Jeremy Bentham’s career as a writer spanned almost seventy years, from the Seven Years’ War to the early 1830s, a period contemporaries called an age of revolutions and more recent historians have seen as a world crisis. This article traces Bentham’s developing universalism in the context of international conflict across his lifetime and in relation to his attempts to create a ‘Universal Jurisprudence’. That ambition went unachieved and his successors turned his conception of international law in more particularist direction. Going back behind Bentham’s legacies to his own writings, both published and unpublished, reveals a thinker responsive to specific events but also committed to a universalist vision that helped to make him a precociously global figure in the history of political thought. Historians of political thought have lately made two great leaps forward in expanding the scope of their inquiries. The first, the ‘international turn’, was long- 1 History of Political Thought, 32 (2011), 63-82. -
JOURNAL of MORAL PHILOSOPHY 3.1 (2006) Simon Caney, Justice
100 JOURNAL OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY 3.1 (2006) Simon Caney, Justice Beyond Borders: A Global Political Theory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 330 pp. ISBN 019829350X (hbk). Hardback/Paperback. £30.00/–. In his very ambitious book, Justice Beyond Borders: A Global Political Theory, Simon Caney articulates an egalitarian brand of liberal cosmopolitanism. This cosmopolitan- ism is robust. It affirms that all persons have a fairly wide range of human rights and that all people have substantial duties in virtue of these rights. It also requires the construction of supra-state political institutions that enforce these rights, especially a purported right to a fair share under a scheme of international distributive justice. Finally (as if this were not enough), Caney puts his brand of cosmopolitanism to work to resolve many of our most pressing questions about just war theory and humanitarian intervention. Caney manages to cover this impressive swath of territory at a breezy pace by providing a great deal of summary and triangulation of many of the arguments (and the objections to these arguments) that have been produced by the leading scholars in the field of global justice. Caney ably represents these views and shows an impres- sive control over this literature. This feature of Justice Beyond Borders therefore makes it a fine (if not the finest) introduction for those students who are first coming into contact with problems of global justice. The book is broken into roughly three sections, each of which builds nicely on the arguments of the previous section(s). After a quick introductory chapter, the first section consists of Chapter 2, which contains arguments for universal moral principles and against moral relativism. -
The Approach to Global Ethic of Richard Rorty and Its Critique
Ars Vivendi Journal No. 6 (March 2014): 3-11 The Approach to Global Ethic of Richard Rorty and its Critique Akira ABE* *Eminent Associate Professor, Research Center for Ars Vivendi, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan Introduction First of all, let me state my concerning global ethic: I think that global poverty should be eliminated. However, based on my understanding there are two differences between what I think and what the major proponents of global justice do concerning this issue. First, there is a difference of stance concerning evaluation or description. We can give two different negative evaluations or descriptions of people doing what is morally wrong. First, such persons are irrational. Second, such persons are heartless. I regard the former as a blame for their lack of understanding of the universal order of reason (i.e., the principle of justice) and the latter as a blame for their lack of sympathy for others’ pain. I assume that major proponents of global justice prefer the former (or at least, that they would not prefer the latter). I, however, prefer the latter. The reason is that the latter is probably more effective than the former in changing our moral behavior. Second, there is a difference in methodology relative to the fulfillment of global ethics. I do not necessarily adopt a causal approach to moral responsibility for world poverty as Thomas Pogge does. [1] In this paper, I try to show that we adequately have a moral motivation to help suffering people regardless of our moral responsibility. These opinions did not evolve as my original perspectives. -
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
PHILANTHROPY / EVENT TRANSCRIPT The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009 By Irving Kristol Edited by Gertrude Himmelfarb February 2, 2011 Panel Discussion of The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009 By Irving Kristol Edited by Gertrude Himmelfarb Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Table of Contents Ken Weinstein 1 Amy Kass 1 Charles Krauthammer 3 Irwin Stelzer 7 Leon Kass 11 William Kristol 15 Q&A 23 Gertrude Himmelfarb (“Bea Kristol”) 30 Speaker Biographies 31 © 2011 Hudson Institute Hudson Institute is a nonpartisan, independent policy research organization. Founded in 1961, Hudson is celebrating a half century of forging ideas that promote security, prosperity, and freedom. www.hudson.org Ken Weinstein Good afternoon. I’m Ken Weinstein, CEO of Hudson Institute. I’d like to welcome everyone to today’s Book Forum on the newly published The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942- 2009, by Irving Kristol, which has been edited by the redoubtable Gertrude Himmelfarb. The book is available for sale in the back at the discounted price of $20, and I urge all of you to get one before you leave. This is a truly remarkable book, one that shows the breadth and the depth of Irving Kristol’s thought over some 67 years, which you’ll be hearing about shortly. My colleagues and I frankly feel privileged that Hudson Institute is the venue for today’s book forum, and I should thank the book’s editor, Gertrude Himmelfarb, for giving us this auspicious honor. (Applause.) We have a truly distinguished panel, who will offer their reflections shortly, but before we get underway I should note that this is Hudson Institute’s 50th anniversary year, and to mark this occasion, the Institute has begun a 50th anniversary seminar series, and today’s exceptional Book Forum is the second event in this series. -
Evil Class Study Guide, Beta Test
A Liberal Religious Investigation of Evil “Doestoevski underlined the idea that evil is not just one more mystery. It is so central to our lives that if reason stumbles there, it must give way to faith. If you cannot understand why children are tortured, nothing else you understand really matters.” - Susan Neiman, Theology from a Fractured Vista Contents: • Class Expectations, Materials, and Purpose (2-4) • Some Definitions of Evil (4-6) • Bibliography (6-7) • Class One - “Why Study Evil?” (8-10) • Class Two - “Postmodernism and Evil - Studying Evil in the Liberal Religious Con- text” (11-14) • Class Three - “Two Foundational Religious Concerns: Evil and Theodicy, Evil and Freedom” (15-16) • Class Four- “Evil and Conscience, Evil and Intention” (17-18) • Class Five - “Evil as Hiding” (19-24) • Class Six - “Us and Them; Evil as Distance” (25-26) • Class Seven - “Conclusion: Personal Definitions and Commitments” (27-28) • Class Evaluation (29-30) !1 Class Expectations Participants in this class should expect to: -Be challenged by difficult material. -Cultivate a reflective attitude to ambiguity and/or unknowing, while searching for clarity. -Craft and re-work a personal definition of evil. -Examine evil from a variety of angles that all contribute to a liberal religious investiga- tion. -Participate at a high level to digest this complex material - attending as many sessions as possible, completing as many assignments as possible, and participating in small group and whole class discussions and experiences. Class Materials 1. This Study Guide 2. Lance Morrow’s Evil, an Investigation 3. The Class Reader Class Purpose Near the end of his life the reluctant leader, Moses, gave his people one last sermon. -
Postmodern Theory of History: a Critique
Postmodern Theory of History: A Critique Trygve R. Tholfsen Teachers College, Columbia University 1. Among the more striking spinoffs of postmodernism in the past fifteen years or so has been an arresting theory of history. On the assumption that "the historical text is an object in itself, made entirely from language, and thus subject to the interrogations devised by the sciences of language use from ancient rhetoric to modern semiotics"1, postmodernists have set out to enlighten historians about their discipline. From that perspective, they have emphasized the intrinsic fictionality of historical writing, derided the factualist empiricism that purportedly governs the work of professional historians, dismissed the ideal of objectivity as a myth, and rejected the truth claims of traditional historiography. Historians have been invited to accept the postmodern approach as a means to critical self reflection and to the improvement of practice. Some postmodern theorists have taken a more overtly anti-histori• cal line that bears directly on important questions of theory and prac• tice. Rejecting the putative "autonomy" claims of professional histo• riography, they dismiss the notion of a distinctively "historical" mode of understanding the past. On this view, the study of origins and de• velopment is of limited analytical value; and the historicist principle of historical specificity or individuality is the remnant of a venerable tradition that has been displaced. It follows that historians ought to give up their claim to special authority in the study of the past. This article will concentrate on the postmodern rejection of the notion that the past has to be understood "historically." 1 Hans KELLNER, "Introduction: Describing Re-Descriptions" in Frank ANKERSMIT and Hans KELLNER (eds.), A New Philosophy of History, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1995, p. -
Utilitarianism in the Age of Enlightenment
UTILITARIANISM IN THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT This is the first book-length study of one of the most influential traditions in eighteenth-century Anglophone moral and political thought, ‘theological utilitarianism’. Niall O’Flaherty charts its devel- opment from its formulation by Anglican disciples of Locke in the 1730s to its culmination in William Paley’s work. Few works of moral and political thought had such a profound impact on political dis- course as Paley’s Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785). His arguments were at the forefront of debates about the constitution, the judicial system, slavery and poverty. By placing Paley’s moral thought in the context of theological debate, this book establishes his genuine commitment to a worldly theology and to a programme of human advancement. It thus raises serious doubts about histories which treat the Enlightenment as an entirely secular enterprise, as well as those which see English thought as being markedly out of step with wider European intellectual developments. niall o’flaherty is a Lecturer in the History of European Political Thought at King’s College London. His research focuses on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century moral, political and religious thought in Britain. He has published articles on William Paley and Thomas Robert Malthus, and is currently writing a book entitled Malthus and the Discovery of Poverty. ideas in context Edited by David Armitage, Richard Bourke, Jennifer Pitts and John Robertson The books in this series will discuss the emergence of intellectual traditions and of related new disciplines. The procedures, aims and vocabularies that were generated will be set in the context of the alternatives available within the contemporary frameworks of ideas and institutions. -
Neoconservatism Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative Hberkc Ch5 Mp 104 Rev1 Page 104 Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative Hberkc Ch5 Mp 105 Rev1 Page 105
Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative hberkc ch5 Mp_103 rev1 page 103 part iii Neoconservatism Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative hberkc ch5 Mp_104 rev1 page 104 Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative hberkc ch5 Mp_105 rev1 page 105 chapter five The Neoconservative Journey Jacob Heilbrunn The Neoconservative Conspiracy The longer the United States struggles to impose order in postwar Iraq, the harsher indictments of the George W. Bush administration’s foreign policy are becoming. “Acquiring additional burdens by engag- ing in new wars of liberation is the last thing the United States needs,” declared one Bush critic in Foreign Affairs. “The principal problem is the mistaken belief that democracy is a talisman for all the world’s ills, and that the United States has a responsibility to promote dem- ocratic government wherever in the world it is lacking.”1 Does this sound like a Democratic pundit bashing Bush for par- tisan gain? Quite the contrary. The swipe came from Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center and copublisher of National Interest. Simes is not alone in calling on the administration to reclaim the party’s pre-Reagan heritage—to abandon the moralistic, Wilsonian, neoconservative dream of exporting democracy and return to a more limited and realistic foreign policy that avoids the pitfalls of Iraq. 1. Dimitri K. Simes, “America’s Imperial Dilemma,” Foreign Affairs (Novem- ber/December 2003): 97, 100. Hoover Press : Berkowitz/Conservative hberkc ch5 Mp_106 rev1 page 106 106 jacob heilbrunn In fact, critics on the Left and Right are remarkably united in their assessment of the administration. Both believe a neoconservative cabal has hijacked the administration’s foreign policy and has now overplayed its hand.