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Self-Transcendence and the Dialectic of the Finite

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Self-Transcendence and the Dialectic of the Finite SELF-TRANSCENDENCE AND THE DIALECTIC OF THE FINITE-INFINITE IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF BERNARD BOSANQUET: METAPHYSICS, RELIGION AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY By Stamatoula Panagakou D Phil in Political Philosophy University of York Department of Politics May 2001 2 ABSTRACT This thesis offers a new interpretation of the philosophy of the British Idealist Bernard Bosanquet (1848-1923). The new interpretation that I elaborate is based on two principles that I have identified in systematising and examining Bosanquet's metaphysics expounded in his Gifford Lectures, The Principle of Individuality and Value (1912) and The Value and Destiny of the Individual (1913). I am referring to the principles of self-transcendence and of the dialectic of the finite-infinite. My analysis is also based on two other conceptual frameworks that I created in order to offer a comprehensive reassessment of Bosanquet's philosophical project. These conceptual frameworks are: (a) the genealogy of selfhood; and (b) the metaphysics of the self. In the thesis, I apply the principles of self-transcendence and of the dialectic of the finite-infinite to three areas ofBosanquet's philosophy: (a) metaphysics and theory of individuality; (b) religion, morality and the system of values; and (c) political philosophy. I demonstrate that the self-transcendence and the dialectic of the finite-infinite: (a) sustain the meaning, nature and structure of Bosanquet's philosophical project; (b) have heuristic value and contribute to an insightful apprehension of Bosanquet's entire theorisation; (c) show the coherence, unity and systematicity of his philosophy; and (d) prove the importance and value of his theory for moral, social and political philosophy. The major contribution of this thesis is a new extensive reassessment of the "Bosanquet-Hobhouse" controversy. I defend Bosanquet's The Philosophical Theory of the State against Hobhouse's erroneous accusations. I also offer a new comprehensive assessment of What Religion Is. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgments 7 Author's Declaration 8 INTRODUCTION 9 Chapter One: Self-Transcendence and the Dialectic of the Finite-Infinite in the Philosophy of Bernard Bosanquet 17 Introduction 17 1. The Concept of Pure Ego 27 2. The Reaction to Psychological Individualism 29 3. Teleology, Finite Consciousness and Individuality 35 4. Conclusion 46 Chapter Two: An Outline of Bernard Bosanquet's Views on Religion 49 Introduction 49 1. Religious Consciousness and the Metaphysics of the Self 56 1a. Religion is the Unity Between the Self and the World 68 1b. The Practical Aspect of the Unity Between the World and the Self: 4 Transcendence, Sociality and the F onnation of the Real Self 75 lc. Religious Consciousness is Faith in Good as the Only Reality 77 2. The Immanentist Perspective 85 2a. The Reality of the Spiritual World 86 2a/i. Reading the New Testament Aright 93 2a/ii. Religious Observance 96 2b. Religion and Morality 102 Conclusion 112 Chapter Three: Religious Consciousness and the Realisation of the True Self: Bernard Bosanquet's Views on Religion in What Religion Is 119 Introduction 119 1. The Right Way of Approaching Religion 128 I a. Asking the Right Questions 132 lb. Science, Logic and Faith 138 1b/i. The Criterion of Judging the Truth of Religion 139 1b/ii. Faith and Religion 142 lc. Prayer and Worship 149 2. The Essence of Religion 155 Conclusion 184 5 Chapter Four: The State, the Individual, and the Best Life: A Reassessment of the "Bosanquet-Hobhouse" Controversy 198 Introduction 198 1. A General Overview 198 2. The Objectives of my Analysis 210 3. Chapter Outline 216 1. Hobhouse's Conception ofa "Metaphysical Theory" and Bosanquet's Philosophical Theory of the State 218 1a. Introductory Remarks 218 1b. Some Thoughts on Metaphysics 223 1c. What the Philosophical Theory of the State Is 230 lc/i. The State and the Political Life of Man 237 1c/ii. The Ideal 250 1c/iii. The Real 260 1d. Concluding Remarks 274 2. The Concept of the State and the End of the State in Bosanquet's Philosophical Theory of the State 278 2a. The Idea of the Absolute and Bosanquet's Concept of the State 278 2b. The End of the State 299 2b/i. Hobhouse's Version of Bosanquet's Argument 301 2b/i (a). Happiness and Goodness 303 2b/i (b). Totality and "the State as a Totality" 307 6 2b/i (c). Perfection 311 2b/ii. The Relation Between the State and the Individual 312 2b/iii. Means, Ends, and the Best Life 319 Conclusion 330 CONCLUSION 332 Appendix 336 Bibliography 346 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Peter P. Nicholson for his support, encouragement and fine advice from the beginning of this project. Peter has been an excellent supervisor. He introduced me to the philosophy of the British Idealists and he showed me the proper way of understanding their thought and writings. I would like to acknowledge the Graduate and the Political Theory Workshops of the Department of Politics. More especially, I would like to acknowledge Matt Matravers, Alex Callinicos, Sue Mendus, David Edwards, Jon Parkin and Christian Piller. I would like to thank Mark Evans who has been an excellent Head of the Department. I also like to thank Caroline, Linda, Jenny, and Val for their help and for the friendly environment they have created in the Office. I would like to thank my friends Maria, Georgia, Stella and Effie, for their love and support. I wish also to acknowledge David Boucher and James Connelly for their help and advice. Kirsten, Lorna, Jonathan, Christos, Rob, Guiseppe, Cecilie, John, Simon and Colin have been very good friends. I wish to acknowledge the NATO Fellowships Programme of the Ministry of National Economy in Athens, Greece, for my studentship. Finally, I would like to thank my family and especially my parents for love, encouragement, moral support and financial assistance throughout the years. 8 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION Some of the material of Chapter One has been presented in an article, S. Panagakou, "The Concept of Self-Transcendence in the Philosophy of Bernard Bosanquet," Collingwood Studies, VI (1999), pp. 147-164. Some ofthe material of Chapter Three has been presented in an article, S. Panagakou, "Religious Consciousness and the Realisation ofthe True Self: Bernard Bosanquet's Views on Religion in What Religion Is," Bradley Studies, Vol. 5, No.2 (Autumn 1999), pp. 139-161. 9 INTRODUCTION This thesis offers a new interpretation ofthe philosophy ofthe British Idealist Bernard Bosanquet (1848-1923). The nature of my project is theoretical and not historical. I offer a new interpretation of some specific issues of Bosanquet's philosophy based on a selective reading ofhis writings. The specific issues that I deal with are metaphysics, religion and political philosophy. My interpretation systematises and develops Bosanquet's philosophy and intends to show the coherence and systematicity of his thought in relation strictly to the topics that are discussed in this thesis. My interpretation of Bosanquet's philosophy should not be regarded as an attempt to recover Bosanquet's intentions in the sense that the latter might be understood 'within the context of specific schools in the history of ideas. I have created the following terms in order to analyse Bosanquet's philosophy: (a) the principle of self-transcendence; (b) the principle ofthe dialectic of the finite-infinite; ( c) the metaphysics of the self; and (d) the genealogy of selfhood. This new interpretation is based on two principles that I have identified in his metaphysics expounded in The Principle ofIndividuality and Value (1912) and The Value and Destiny ofthe Individual (1913). These two principles, which also signify processes characterising the nature of individuality, are: (a) the principle of self­ transcendence; and (b) the principle of the dialectic of the finite-infinite. I claim that Bosanquet's philosophy can be better understood and that many issues can be clarified thoroughly and comprehensively if we use constructively the explanatory conceptual framework that these principles offer. I use the principles of self-transcendence and 10 of the dialectic of the finite-infinite, together with the ideas of the metaphysics of the self and the genealogy of selfhood (that I have also developed), in order to provide a new interpretation ofBosanquet's views on the theory ofindividuality, on religion, morality and the realisation of the real self, and on the theorisation of the State, Society and the Individual. The culmination of the thesis is found in the fourth chapter where I use the ideas developed throughout the thesis, the conclusions I reached, and the explanatory power ofthe metaphysical principles in order to address Hobhouse's attack on Bosanquet's political philosophy. Bosanquet published The Philosophical Theory ofthe State in 1899: the book was immediately recognised as a classic statement ofthe tradition ofPhilosophical Idealism. Hobhouse criticised The Philosophical Theory ofthe State in his The Metaphysical Theory ofthe State (1918). His critique created a sort of "standard" interpretation of Bosanquet's political philosophy, yet his accusations, as I will demonstrate, are based on false foundations for he did not understand the meaning, significance and function of Bosanquet's philosophical project. Hence in the last part of the thesis I address Hobhouse's erroneous views concerning Bosanquet's political philosophy from the standpoint of my new interpretation of Bosanquet's views on metaphysics. I now elaborate the development of the argument of this thesis by describing how I use the principles of self-transcendence and of the dialectic of the finite-infinite in the context of the four chapters which belong to three areas of philosophical inquiry. Each chapter contains an application of the principles to a specific question related to the nature of the theoretical province to which I refer.
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