An Exemplary Study of Nietzsche as Political Philosopher

A Review of William H. F. Altman's Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche: The Philosopher of the Second Reich (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2013).

In this imaginative and refined commentary on Nietzsche’s political thought, Altman provides an incisive critique of the achievement of Nietzsche, as well as his limitations.  The work is the third volume of a trilogy on German political thought, following earlier studies by the author of Heidegger and Leo Strauss.  Utilizing Nietzsche’s own aphoristic style as evinced in his Daybreak, the main arguments of the text are presented in the course of five chapters (“books”) composed of 155 essays, and 63 pages of notes, and other ancillary writings.  The first chapter critiques Nietzsche as the classicist who looked to the past, but equally to the future, to evaluate the crisis of liberal institutions in his own time and place.  Chapter Two even more explicitly demonstrates Nietzsche’s connection to the political world of the Second Reich.  Nietzsche’s criticism of Plato, and his rather limited appreciation of Aristotle, are presented in Chapter 3.  Nietzsche’s defense of aristocratic elitism, and his assimilation and use of Platonic themes, especially dualism, are assessed convincingly by the author as well.  The two final chapters place Nietzsche within the historical context of the Second Reich, providing insightful reflections on Nietzsche’s influence during World War I. 

Some Light Holiday Reading on Plato

http://www.gpsanet.org/images/stories/proceedings/2011%20proceedings%20cheek.pdf

Stop Blaming Religion! A Brief Response to the Mayan Scholars!

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/199/article/75109/

A Good Introduction to Political Philosophy

White, Michael J.  Political Philosophy: A Historical Introduction.  Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.


In a lengthy and readable manner, White (Arizona State University) provides a capable introduction to major political philosophers in the Western tradition.  Generally, the text follows a traditional approach by surveying seminal thinkers and texts, but the author, influenced by recent efforts to place political philosophy “within the context of a more comprehensive moral, philosophical, or religious point of view” (p. 414), provides a supplemental basis of analysis for the reader to contemplate as well.  The underlying argument of the text is most laudable, but insufficient use is made of the recent scholarship that most closely conforms to this mode of interpretation. 

As a second edition, the book includes a new chapter on Cicero, and new sections on Marsilius of Padua and John Stuart Mill.  The chapter on Cicero addresses the interconnectivity between reason and morality in Cicero’s political thought.  Additional contributions of the text are the author’s attempt to introduce, and then explicate, the “enduring issues” of political philosophy as a framework (pp. 13-17) for better understanding contemporary politics, and the thoughtful treatment of Christianity’s role in shaping the political thought of the West (chapter 6).

New, Groundbreaking Study of Burke

 

 

Patriotism and Public Spirit: Edmund Burke and the Role of the Critic in Mid-18^th Century Britain is a groundbreaking study of the great political philosopher Edmund Burke.  The book provides a scholarly advancement of existing knowledge regarding Burke and the intellectual milieu that was so important to his development as a thinker.  Chapter one offers an assessment of the early influences on Burke’s life and political thought.  The limits of various “Enlightenment” metaphors often used to describe mid-18^th century European intellectual life, and potential influences upon Burke, are critiqued with great precision and insight.  Burke’s first tome, A Vindication of Natural Society, is the focus of the second chapter of the book, and the author provides a definitive interpretation of the classic text that expands and refines earlier assessments by Carl Cone and Peter Stanlis.  The influence of Burke’s native Ireland as a continuation of earlier themes is explored in a most convincing fashion in Chapter Three. The author also dissects the perennial excesses of the tendency to manipulate the “Irish Burke” for political gain. In fact, Crowe argues that Burke’s formative political and academic experiences augment his defense of religious toleration and the refinement of the uses of public rhetoric.  Burke’s contribution to the study of aesthetics is assessed most carefully and with great illumination, with Burke’s Philosophical Enquiry serving as the centerpiece of the analysis in Chapter Four.  The last chapter is devoted to an explication of Burke’s “Abridgment of the English History," and the importance of restoring order amidst the chaos of social and political life.  Patriotism and Public Spirit fills a critical lacuna in British intellectual history, Burke scholarship, and political thought. 

The Imaginative Conservative: Plato Yes, Radical Environmentalism No

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Save OBU: Brewton-Parker's Fledgling Accreditation: Even if ...

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