UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The sources and limits of political enthusiasm Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x24v971 Author Poe, Andrew Publication Date 2010 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Sources and Limits of Political Enthusiasm A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Andrew Poe Committee in charge: Professor Tracy Strong, Chair Professor Fonna Forman-Barzilai Professor Harvey Goldman Professor Patchen Markell Professor Philip Roeder 2010 Copyright Andrew Poe, 2010 All rights reserved The dissertation of Andrew Poe is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2010 iii DEDICATION For Alivia, especially for beginning everything by mistakenly saying “I know you!” iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page....................................................................................................................iii Dedication...........................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................viii Vita ....................................................................................................................................xii Abstract of the Dissertation..............................................................................................xiv Introduction: The Problem of Enthusiasm ..........................................................................1 Chapter 1: Transformations in the Concept of Enthusiasm...............................................15 Introduction – Varieties of Enthusiasm..........................................................................15 Section 1 – Schwärmerei and Enthusiasmus ......................................................................21 Section 2 – Defining Religious Enthusiasm...................................................................27 Section 3 – Is Enthusiasm a Disease?.............................................................................33 Conclusions – Hope for a Moral (and thereby Political) Enthusiasm............................41 Appendix to Chapter 1...................................................................................................44 C. M. Wieland’s “Schwärmerei und Enthusiasmus” (1775), German Text .........44 C. M. Wieland’s “Fanaticism and Enthusiasm” (1775), English Translation ......47 Chapter 2: Rhetoric and the Work of Enthusiasm: A Kantian Understanding of Allegiance..........................................................................................................................50 Introduction – Rhetoric and Enthusiasm........................................................................50 Section 1 – Motivating Verfassungspatriotismus ..........................................................62 Section 2 – Raving with Reason: Does Rhetoric Dehumanize......................................75 Section 3 – Understanding Affect..................................................................................87 Section 4 – Political Enthusiasm....................................................................................96 Conclusion – The Work of Enthusiasm.......................................................................105 v Chapter 3: Translating Enthusiasm: Reading Reflections on the Revolution in France – in Prussia .........................................................................................................................110 Introduction – The Danger of Enthusiasm...................................................................110 Section 1 – Burke’s Political Critique of Enthusiasm .................................................117 Section 2 – The Aesthetics of Burke’s Politics............................................................136 Section 3 – Translating Burke’s Critique of Enthusiasm.............................................149 Conclusions – The Costs of a Unified Conception of Enthusiasm..............................169 Chapter 4: The Nation and the Swarm ............................................................................172 Introduction – Motivating Nationalism .......................................................................172 Section 1 – Creating Nations .......................................................................................174 Section 2 – The Limits of Fichte’s Nationalism ..........................................................184 Section 3 – The Logic of Schwärmerei in Fichte’s Nation..........................................202 Conclusion – Creating Objects of Allegiance..............................................................213 Chapter 5: The Allure of Fanaticism...............................................................................215 Introduction – Fanaticism and Schwärmerei ...............................................................215 Section 1 – Romanticism in Context ...........................................................................219 Section 2 – On the Synthesis of Thought and Feeling: Romantic Agency..................231 Section 3 – Novalis’ Inheritance of Kant.....................................................................237 Section 4 – Understanding Schwärmerei.....................................................................252 Section 5 – The Problem of ‘Europe’ (Past and Present) ............................................257 Conclusion – Romantic Psychologies..........................................................................262 Appendix to Chapter 5.................................................................................................268 Novalis’ “Apologie der Schwärmerey” (1789), German Text..............................268 Novalis’ “In Defense of Schwärmerei” (1789), English Translation ...................270 vi Conclusions: Enthusiasm and the Limits of Democracy ............................................... 272 Bibliography....................................................................................................................276 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is an understatement to say this project has benefited greatly from the enthusiasm of others. Throughout my thinking and writing on this subject, a host of colleagues were willing to share their care and wit. All of this I was never sure I deserved, but I have enjoyed it nonetheless. I know in the beginning that it was unclear how very much would depend on them; in the end, it is obvious that I owe them everything. Special thanks go to my committee, each of whom has helped contribute to the very structure of my thinking. Fonna Forman-Barzilai’s faith and encouragement were inspiring, even when seemingly unwarranted. That I was able to openly confess my hopes and anxieties, I think, pushed this project further than it ever could have progressed on my confidence alone. In that way she has proved as much a dear friend as an adviser. From the earliest stages of my study of the history of European political thought, Harvey Goldman has served as an important asymptote to my sometimes- spurious thinking. His grounded and thorough examinations of my thoughts – especially when I set out on the early course of this project – provided a solid foundation from which I developed. Phil Roeder, in what became regular morning conversations on and off this subject, has given shape to my research in more ways than he knows. Whatever apprehensions I had about investigating enthusiasm as a political concept were first viii dispelled by his encouragement. His continued support, even (perhaps most) when my thinking wavered, was especially comforting. As an outside adviser, Patchen Markell has been incredibly generous with his thoughts and time. His work, both directly and indirectly, has proved a model for this project and my research generally. I find it only somewhat ironic that I had to leave Chicago in order for us to first meet. But from that initial introduction on, I’ve been grateful for his personal care and professional guidance. A very special thanks go to my adviser and the chair of this dissertation committee, Tracy Strong. Throughout my intellectual development, Tracy provided an environment where I could be secure in my confusions. Our continual discussions on the history of political theory, especially as that history transformed throughout his lifetime, provided me with a deep context for my own burgeoning views. And his very democratic spirit dissolved what could have been a hierarchical relationship between teacher and student. I have tried, throughout my research, to humbly inherit his spirit. Our dialog is the best example I have of the feeling of enthusiasm. Others, along the way, have given much of themselves to help in my development. Many thanks go to Danielle Allen, who first introduced