0
Your cart

Your cart is empty

Browse All Departments
Price
  • R0 - R50 (2)
  • R50 - R100 (16)
  • R100 - R250 (3,503)
  • R250 - R500 (12,339)
  • R500+ (42,322)
  • -
Status
Format
Author / Contributor
Publisher

Books > Humanities > Philosophy > General

100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Questioning (Paperback): Peter Worley 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Questioning (Paperback)
Peter Worley
R443 R366 Discovery Miles 3 660 Save R77 (17%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

No matter what you teach, there is a 100 Ideas title for you! The 100 Ideas series offers teachers practical, easy-to-implement strategies and activities for the classroom. Each author is an expert in their field and is passionate about sharing best practice with their peers. Each title includes at least ten additional extra-creative Bonus Ideas that won't fail to inspire and engage all learners. Questioning is key to effective teaching and learning, yet practical questioning strategies that are immediately useable in the classroom can be hard to come by. 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Questioning presents practical strategies, games and activities not only to help teachers improve their own questioning in the classroom, but also to allow pupils to develop an understanding of how they too can ask effective questions to develop their learning. Using philosophical approaches including ownership, authenticity, balance and Socratic principles, Peter Worley, co-founder of The Philosophy Foundation, provides guidance and ideas on how questioning can help pupils reach the next step and activate their own thinking. He also encourages teachers to reflect on their practice and the effect of questioning on children's progress. The ideas in this book are applicable to all subjects in a primary teacher's curriculum and are ideal for establishing good questioning strategies and a solid understanding of this core element of teaching.

I Hate Men (Paperback): Pauline Harmange I Hate Men (Paperback)
Pauline Harmange; Translated by Natasha Lehrer
R152 Discovery Miles 1 520 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The feminist book they tried to ban in France 'A delightful book' Roxane Gay Women, especially feminists and lesbians, have long been accused of hating men. Our instinct is to deny it at all costs. (After all, women have been burnt at the stake for admitting to less.) But what if mistrusting men, disliking men - and yes, maybe even hating men - is, in fact, a useful response to sexism? What if such a response offers a way out of oppression, a means of resistance? What if it even offers a path to joy, solidarity and sisterhood? In this sparkling essay, as mischievous and provocative as it is urgent and serious, Pauline Harmange interrogates modern attitudes to feminism and makes a rallying cry for women to find a greater love for each other - and themselves.

In a quAre Time and Place - Post-Slavery Temporalities, Blaxploitation, and Sun Ra's Afrofuturism Between... In a quAre Time and Place - Post-Slavery Temporalities, Blaxploitation, and Sun Ra's Afrofuturism Between Intersectionality and Heterogeneity (Paperback)
Tim Stuttgen
R518 Discovery Miles 5 180 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
The Psychology of Stupidity - Explained by Some of the World's Smartest People (Paperback): Jean-Francois Marmion The Psychology of Stupidity - Explained by Some of the World's Smartest People (Paperback)
Jean-Francois Marmion; Jean-Francois Marmion
R267 Discovery Miles 2 670 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Number One International bestseller 'We need books like this one' - psychologist Steven Pinker At last, stupidity explained! And by some of the world's smartest people, among them Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely, Alison Gopnik, Howard Gardner, Antonio Damasio, Aaron James and Ryan Holiday. Stupidity is all around us, from the colleagues who won't stop hitting 'reply all' to the former school friends posting conspiracy theories on Facebook. But in order to battle idiocy, we must first understand it. In The Psychology of Stupidity, some of the world's leading psychologists and thinkers - including a Nobel Prize winner - will show you . . . * Why smart people sometimes believe in utter nonsense * How our lazy brains cause us to make the wrong decisions * Why trying to debate with fools is a trap * How media manipulation and Internet overstimulation makes us dumber * Why the stupidest people don't think they're stupid As long as there have been humans there has been human stupidity, but with wit and wisdom these great thinkers can help us understand this persistent human affliction.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra - The Philosophy Classic (Hardcover): F Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra - The Philosophy Classic (Hardcover)
F Nietzsche
R396 R294 Discovery Miles 2 940 Save R102 (26%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A startling and thought-provoking work from one of the most powerful philosophers in the Western canon Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Philosophy Classic, is Friedrich Nietzsche's classic masterpiece of philosophy and literature. Nietzsche writes from the perspective of Zarathustra who, after years of meditation, has come down from a mountain to provide his wisdom to an unsuspecting world. He offers enduring observations on God, the UEbermensch, the will to power, and the nature of human beings. This deluxe hardback Capstone edition includes an insightful introduction from leading Nietzsche scholar Dirk R. Johnson Perfect for students and scholars of philosophy, literature and history, Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Philosophy Classic belongs in the libraries of anyone interested in the philosophy of Nietzsche and in his powerful explorations of God, life, power, and humanity.

Scepticism and Naturalism: Some Varieties - The Woodbridge Lectures 1983 (Paperback): P F Strawson Scepticism and Naturalism: Some Varieties - The Woodbridge Lectures 1983 (Paperback)
P F Strawson
R760 Discovery Miles 7 600 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

By the time of his death in 2006, Sir Peter Strawson was regarded as one of the world's most distinguished philosophers. Unavailable for many years, Scepticism and Naturalism is a profound reflection on two classic philosophical problems by a philosopher at the pinnacle of his career. Based on his acclaimed Woodbridge lectures delivered at Columbia University in 1983, Strawson begins with a discussion of scepticism, which he defines as questioning the adequacy of our grounds for holding various beliefs. He then draws deftly on Hume and Wittgenstein to argue that we must distinguish between 'hard', scientific naturalism; or 'soft', humanistic naturalism. In the remaining chapters the author takes up several issues in which sceptical doubts play an important role, in particular the nature of transcendental arguments and including the objectivity of moral philosophy, the mental and the physical, and the existence of abstract entities. Scepticism and Naturalism is essential reading for those seeking an introduction to the work of one of the twentieth century's most important and original philosophers. This reissue includes a substantial new foreword by Quassim Cassam and a fascinating intellectual autobiography by Strawson, which together form an excellent introduction to his life and work.

Liberalism's Religion - Cecile Laborde and Her Critics (Paperback): Aurelia Bardon, Jeffrey W Howard Liberalism's Religion - Cecile Laborde and Her Critics (Paperback)
Aurelia Bardon, Jeffrey W Howard
R1,221 Discovery Miles 12 210 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

How should liberalism understand - and deal with - religion? Cecile Laborde offers powerful new answers in her book Liberalism's Religion; this collection subjects that theory to critical scrutiny from an array of scholars, thereby advancing the scholarly debate. Religion has recently become the object of a significant and growing literature in legal and political philosophy, for example: What does it mean to guarantee religious freedom? When the religious freedom of some citizens appears in conflict with the religious freedom of others, what should be done? May religious reasons be legitimately invoked to justify political decisions, or should they be excluded from public deliberation? In the recent literature, the dominant liberal response to these questions is based on an egalitarian theory of religion. In her major new work, Liberalism's Religion, Cecile Laborde argues that the prevailing liberal-egalitarian approach toward religion is misguided and in need of crucial revision. In doing so, she offers powerful and original answers, organised by her distinctive thesis that liberals must radically rethink how we conceive religion itself. This volume subjects her powerful new theory to scrutiny from an array of scholars, engaging each dimension of it. The volume includes a comprehensive reply by Laborde to the various points raised by these scholars, and therefore moves the debate forward, highlighting key issues that should be addressed in the future in the literature on religion and political philosophy. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy.

The Expanse and Philosophy - So Far Out Into the Darkness (Paperback): W. Irwin The Expanse and Philosophy - So Far Out Into the Darkness (Paperback)
W. Irwin
R574 R407 Discovery Miles 4 070 Save R167 (29%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Enter The Expanse to explore questions of the meaning of human life, the concept of justice, and the nature of humanity, featuring a foreword from author James S.A. Corey The Expanse and Philosophy investigates the philosophical universe of the critically acclaimed television show and Hugo Award-winning series of novels. Original essays by a diverse international panel of experts illuminate how essential philosophical concepts relate to the meticulously crafted world of The Expanse, engaging with topics such as transhumanism, belief, culture, environmental ethics, identity, colonialism, diaspora, racism, reality, and rhetoric. Conceiving a near-future solar system colonized by humanity, The Expanse provokes a multitude of moral, ethical, and philosophical queries: Are Martians, Outer Planets inhabitants, and Earthers different races? Is Marco Inaros a terrorist? Can people who look and sound different, like Earthers and Belters, ever peacefully co-exist? Should science be subject to moral rules? Who is sovereign in space? What is the relationship between human progress and aggression? The Expanse and Philosophy helps you answer these questions--and many more. Covers the first six novels in The Expanse series and five seasons of the television adaptation Addresses the philosophical issues that emerge from socio-economics and geopolitics of Earth, Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance Offers fresh perspectives on the themes, characters, and storylines of The Expanse Explores the connections between The Expanse and thinkers such as Aristotle, Kant, Locke, Hannah Arendt, Wittgenstein, Descartes, and Nietzsche Part of the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, The Expanse and Philosophy is a must-have companion for avid readers of James S.A. Corey's novels and devotees of the television series alike.

Augustine and His World - Francis of Assisi and His World (Paperback, New edition): Andrew Knowles, Luke Penkett, Mark Galli Augustine and His World - Francis of Assisi and His World (Paperback, New edition)
Andrew Knowles, Luke Penkett, Mark Galli
R511 Discovery Miles 5 110 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Have you ever wanted accessible introductions to key figures and periods of Christian history? Augustine and His World Augustine is one of the giants of the Christian church. From his birth in North Africa and his days as a relatively permissive young man, through his midlife conversion to Christianity and career as bishop of Hippo, his story has intrigued and inspired every generation for over 1,600 years. As a thinker, teacher, writer and debater, Augustine's greatness lay in his ability to relate the philosophies of Ancient Greece and Rome to the precepts of the Christian faith. Augustine also saved the church itself from disintegrating into rival factions by forging sound doctrine in the fires of controversy. This immersive account of Augustine's life helps readers understand the world he came from and the enormous contribution he made to the church, both of his day and of the future. Francis of Assisi and His World Francis of Assisi is one of the world's most popular religious figures, and also one of the most misrepresented. In this lively and engaging account of Francis's story - from his hedonistic youth to his emergence as a Christian leader of great charisma and intensity - Mark Galli attempts to strip away the modern gloss in order to discover the real man and the world in which he lived. The saint revealed here is not the romantic free spirit of popular imagination, but a contentious figure who combined a deep mysticism with radical commitment and, above all, sought to glorify God, the creator.

The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties; Volume I (Hardcover): Francis Wayland George Lillie Craik The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties; Volume I (Hardcover)
Francis Wayland George Lillie Craik
R1,020 Discovery Miles 10 200 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Monsters - A Fan’s Dilemma (Hardcover): Claire Dederer Monsters - A Fan’s Dilemma (Hardcover)
Claire Dederer
R613 R500 Discovery Miles 5 000 Save R113 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

'An exhilarating, shape-shifting exploration of the perilous boundaries between art and life' JENNY OFFILL 'An incredible book, the best work of criticism I have read in a very long time' NICK HORNBY 'Wise and bold and full of the kind of gravitas that might even rub off' LISA TADDEO A passionate, provocative and blisteringly smart interrogation of how we experience art in the age of #MeToo, and whether we can separate an artist's work from their biography. What do we do with the art of monstrous men? Can we love the work of Roman Polanski and Michael Jackson, Hemingway and Picasso? Should we love it? Does genius deserve special dispensation? What makes women artists monstrous? And what should we do with beauty, and with our unruly feelings about it? Claire Dederer explores these questions and our relationships with the artists whose behaviour disrupts our ability to understand the work on its own terms. She interrogates her own responses and behaviour, and she pushes the fan, and the reader, to do the same. Morally wise, deeply considered and sharply written, Monsters gets to the heart of one of our most pressing conversations. 'A blisteringly erudite and entertaining read . . . It's a book that deserves to be widely read and will provoke many conversations' NATHAN FILER 'Fascinating . . . Dederer poses so many topical questions, plays with so many pertinent ideas, that I'm still thinking about this book long after I finished it' CLAIRE FULLER

The School of Life: A Job to Love - how to find a fulfilling career (Paperback): The School of Life The School of Life: A Job to Love - how to find a fulfilling career (Paperback)
The School of Life
R299 R240 Discovery Miles 2 400 Save R59 (20%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A practical guide to finding fulfilling work by understanding yourself. The idea that work might be fulfilling rather than just necessary is a recent invention. These days, in prosperous areas of the world, we don't only expect to get paid, we also expect to find meaning and satisfaction. A Job to Love is designed to help us better understand ourselves in order to find a job that is right for us. It explores the myths, traps and confusions that get in our way and shows us how to develop new, effective attitudes and habits.

The Idler 86 - The Art of Living Punkily (Paperback): Tom Hodgkinson The Idler 86 - The Art of Living Punkily (Paperback)
Tom Hodgkinson
R284 R234 Discovery Miles 2 340 Save R50 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days
The Sun, the Sea and the Stars - Ancient wisdom as a healing journey (Hardcover): Iulia Bochis The Sun, the Sea and the Stars - Ancient wisdom as a healing journey (Hardcover)
Iulia Bochis
R350 R280 Discovery Miles 2 800 Save R70 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

In this modern tale for the ages, hit Instagram illustrator @iuliastration takes us a on a healing journey. Following the story of a traveller as they move from darkness to light through the rhythm of the seasons, this is a deeply relatable quest for inner peace told through calming and original illustrations. Using ancient wisdom and philosophical quotes from around the world - from Rumi to Emily Dickinson - to anchor her striking visual storytelling, Iulia Bochis weaves a timeless story of personal growth and self-love.

The Philosopher's Toolkit - A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods, 3rd Edition (Paperback, 3rd Edition): Ps... The Philosopher's Toolkit - A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods, 3rd Edition (Paperback, 3rd Edition)
Ps Fosl
R525 Discovery Miles 5 250 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A new edition of the bestselling guide to the study of philosophy: the ideal intellectual 'toolkit' for sharpening analytical skills and building philosophical acuity Whether used as a guide to basic principles or a resource for key concepts and methods, The Philosopher's Toolkit equips readers with all the intellectual 'tools' necessary for engaging closely with philosophical argument and developing fluency in the methods and language of philosophical inquiry. Featuring accessible explanations, practical examples, and expert guidance, this text empowers readers to understand traditional philosophical thinking and to engage with new ideas. Focuses on the practical methods and concepts necessary for philosophical inquiry Presents a versatile resource for both novice and advanced students in areas of philosophy, critical theory, and rhetoric Adopts a pluralistic approach to teaching philosophy, making this a suitable resource for many courses Delivers extensive cross-referenced entries, recommended readings, and updated online resources Covers an array of topics, from basic tools of argumentation to sophisticated philosophical principles Fully revised and updated to include new topics and entries as well as expanded recommended reading lists to encourage further study

An Outline of Philosophy - With Notes, Historical and Critical (Paperback): John Watson An Outline of Philosophy - With Notes, Historical and Critical (Paperback)
John Watson
R1,282 Discovery Miles 12 820 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
John Locke as Translator - Three of the Essais of Pierre Nicole in French and English (Hardcover): Jean S. Yolton John Locke as Translator - Three of the Essais of Pierre Nicole in French and English (Hardcover)
Jean S. Yolton
R2,931 Discovery Miles 29 310 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Pierre Nicole was a major figure in the Jansenist controversy in seventeenth-century France. His essays, which were widely read and appeared in various editions during his lifetime, cover a broad range of religious subjects. John Locke first came across Nicole's work during his visit to France in the 1670s, and was so struck by it that he intended to translate all the Essais de morale into English. When he had translated three of them, however he learned that the work had been done already, so he abandoned the project and presented what he had done so far to the countess of Shaftesbury, wife of his patron. Locke's translation, in a neatly written presentation copy, is now housed in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. The three essays that he translated - 'Discours (...) de l'existence de Dieu & l'immortalite de l'ame', 'Traite de la faiblesse de l'homme', and 'Traite des moyens de conserver la paix avec les hommes' - deal with topics that he later discusses at length in his own writings: society, morality, toleration and opinion. This volume reproduces the text of Nicole's three essays from an early edition facing Locke's deliberately free and impressionistic rendering into English, a style which he hoped might convey the sense of the author better than a literal translation. The choice of these three essays to translate first, out of the whole of the Essais de morale, and the changes that Locke made to his French original in the course of translation, illuminate our understanding of his thought and of its development.

Air Conditioning (Paperback): Hsuan L. Hsu Air Conditioning (Paperback)
Hsuan L. Hsu
R252 Discovery Miles 2 520 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Air conditioning aspires to be unnoticed. Yet, by manipulating the air around us, it quietly conditions the baseline conditions of our physical, mental, and emotional experience. From offices and libraries to contemporary art museums and shopping malls, climate control systems shore up the fantasy of a comfortable, self-contained body that does not have to reckon with temperature. At the same time that air conditioning makes temperature a non-issue in (some) people’s daily lives, thermoception—or the sensory perception of temperature—is being carefully studied and exploited as a tool of marketing, social control, and labor management. Yet air conditioning isn’t for everybody: its reliance on carbon fuels divides the world into habitable, climate-controlled bubbles and increasingly uninhabitable environments where AC is unavailable. Hsuan Hsu's Air Conditioning explores questions about culture, ethics, ecology, and social justice raised by the history and uneven distribution of climate controlling technologies. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

World Perspectives (Hardcover): Ruth Nanda Anshen World Perspectives (Hardcover)
Ruth Nanda Anshen
R24,626 Discovery Miles 246 260 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The World Perspectives series presented short books written by some of the most eminent thinkers of the 20th Century. Each volume discusses the interrelation of the changing religious, scientific, artistic, political, economic and social influences on the human experience. This set reissues 9/10 of the volumes originally published between 1957 and 1965 and presents the thought and belief of its author and discuss: The role of architecture on social well-being and democracy The problems of international cooperation The impact of increased technology on global society The philosophies of logical positivism and materialism The meaning and function of language.

The Tone of Teaching - The Language of Pedagogy (Paperback, 2nd edition): Max Van Manen The Tone of Teaching - The Language of Pedagogy (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Max Van Manen
R1,138 Discovery Miles 11 380 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

In the revised and updated second edition of The Tone of Teaching, bestselling author Max van Manen defines sound pedagogy as the ability to distinguish effectively between what is appropriate, and what is less appropriate in our communications and dealings with children and young people as parents and educators. The author: -Shows how tactful educators develop a caring attentiveness to the unique; to the uniqueness of children, and to the uniqueness of their individual lives-Describes how this "tone" of teaching can be sustained by the cultivation of a certain kind of seeing, listening, and responding to each child in each particular situation-Offers practical insights for both educators and parents

Pandemic! 2 - Chronicles of a Time Lost (Paperback): Zizek Pandemic! 2 - Chronicles of a Time Lost (Paperback)
Zizek
R344 Discovery Miles 3 440 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

What do sex doll sales, locust swarms and a wired-brain pig have to do with the coronavirus pandemic? Everything--according to that "Giant of Lubliana," the inimitable Slovenian philosopher Slavoj i ek. In this exhilarating sequel to his acclaimed Pandemic!: COVID-19 Shakes the World, i ek delves into some of the more surprising dimensions of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing--and the increasingly unruly opposition to them by "response fatigued" publics around the world. i ek examines the ripple effects on the food supply of harvest failures caused by labor shortages and the hyper-exploitation of the global class of care workers, without whose labor daily life would be impossible. Through such examples he pinpoints the inability of contemporary capitalism to safeguard effectively the public in times of crisis. Writing with characteristic daring and zeal, i ek ranges across critical theory, pop-culture, and psychoanalysis to reveal the troubling dynamics of knowledge and power emerging in these viral times.

Hyperculture: Culture and Globalisation (Paperback): Han Hyperculture: Culture and Globalisation (Paperback)
Han
R403 Discovery Miles 4 030 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In the wake of globalization, cultural forms of expression have become increasingly detached from their places of origin, circulating in a hyper-domain of culture where there is no real difference anymore between indigenous and foreign, near and far, the familiar and the exotic. Heterogeneous cultural contents are brought together side by side, like the fusion food that makes free use of all that the hypercultural pool of spices, ingredients and ways of preparing food has to offer. Culture is becoming un-bound, un-restricted, un-ravelled: a hyperculture. It is a profoundly rhizomatic culture of intense hybridization, fusion and co-appropriation. Today we have all become hypercultural tourists, even in our 'own' culture, to which we do not even belong anymore. Hypercultural tourists travel in the hyperspace of events, a space of cultural sightseeing. They experience culture as cul-tour. Drawing on thinkers from Hegel and Heidegger to Bauman and Homi Bhabha to examine the characteristics of our contemporary hyperculture, Han poses the question: should we welcome the human of the future as the hypercultural tourist, smiling serenely, or should we aspire to a different way of being in the world?

Phosphorescence - On Awe, Wonder & Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark (Paperback): Julia Baird Phosphorescence - On Awe, Wonder & Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark (Paperback)
Julia Baird
R228 Discovery Miles 2 280 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'This book is beautiful ... Julia Baird has been to the tough edges and gives us light. She writes like a dream.' MATT HAIG 'Utterly captivating and magical.' JULIA BRADBURY 'Luminous and deeply comforting' KATHERINE MAY Julia Baird's intimate study of phosphorescence is full of wisdom and joy; a roadmap for rediscovering our inner light after the darkest of times. We now know just how much we should treasure the times when we feel happy, content and at peace. When we feel this way we seek out life's experiences with a sense of optimism and hope. But how do we move forward with life now that everything has changed? Now that we appreciate just how fragile and fleeting these feelings can be? Is it possible to access a light - our own source of phosphorescence - that can sustain us in this brave new world? In this wise and inspiring book, bestselling author Julia Baird reflects on her encounters with phosphorescence, a luminescent phenomenon found in the nature, and how she was able to cultivate her own 'inner light' in the face of a life-threatening illness. When we spend time in nature, humble ourselves to the mystery of the world, and recognise the 'soothing power of the ordinary', we are able to discover hidden sources of strength and resilience. It is these experiences that sustain us, help us place one foot in front of the other and cultivate our own essential light which will light our path in good times and bad.

The Thoreau You Don't Know - The Father of Nature Writers on the Importance of Cities, Finance, and Fooling Around... The Thoreau You Don't Know - The Father of Nature Writers on the Importance of Cities, Finance, and Fooling Around (Paperback)
Robert Sullivan
R449 R373 Discovery Miles 3 730 Save R76 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A "New York Times" Editors' Choice

Most readers think they know Henry David Thoreau: the solitary curmudgeon with the shack out in the woods. In this delightfully engaging book, Robert Sullivan gives us the Thoreau we "don't" know: the gregarious adventurer, the guy who liked to go camping with friends (even if they sometimes accidentally burned the woods down). Here is no lonely eccentric but a man who danced and sang, who worked throughout his short life at the family pencil-making business, who moved into his parents' house after leaving Walden Pond and always paid his father rent. Passionate yet whimsical, "The Thoreau You Don't Know" asks us to cast off our misconceptions as we reexamine our everyday relationship with the natural world and one another.

The Cult of the Legislator in France 1750-1830 1997 - A Study in the Political Theology of the French Enlightenment... The Cult of the Legislator in France 1750-1830 1997 - A Study in the Political Theology of the French Enlightenment (Hardcover)
David A. Wisner
R2,931 Discovery Miles 29 310 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Historians have long debated the nature of the relationships between the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. This study traces a cultural and doctrinal current from the intellectual revolution of the seventeenth century to 1789, arguing that the contribution of the philosophes to this current had a fundamental bearing on the events of the revolutionary decade. How might a state in decline reform, in not transform, its constitution? Two generations of French philosophes struggled to answer this question. Their conclusions took the form of a deistic political theology, according to which comprehensive reform had to be the work of an enlightened legislatior. The generation of 1789 inherited this outlook and set about enacting the reforms of their philosophic forefathers. Important to this enterprise was the rich variety of symbolic representations accompanying the theoretical writings of eighteenth-century publicists and activists. Enlightenment historiography, reflecting the reforming tendencies in the writing of the philosophes, included multiple allusions to the figure of the lawgiver in history, all the while looking for improvement. By the 1770s such reform appeared both necessary and imminent. Meanwhile, the various loci of enlightenment sociability took in the air of the 'constitutional arena'. But the philosophes also invested their movement with a variety of religious forms, which complemented the logic of their political theology. Theirs was indeed a cult of the legislator. These varied tendecies crystallised during the early years of the Revolution. The author shows how Frenchmen self-consciously imitated their historic role models as they participated in revolutionary assemblies. A new phase in history seemed to be dawning, one in which goodness would reign supreme. As Hegel put it some decades later, it appeared as if the heavens and the earth had been rejoined. Such sentiments found a central place in Jacques-Louis David's Serment du Jeu de Paume, commissioned in 1790 by the Paris Jacobin Club to hang in the chambers of the National Assembly. In a novel interpretation of David's project, the author demonstrates how his composition wove the strands of the Enlightenment cult of the legislator into a lively canvas in which future generations of French men and women would be confronted with the providentially inspired founding act of the new regime.

Free Delivery
Pinterest Twitter Facebook Google+
You may like...
A New Humanity Is Rising
The Aquarian Team Paperback R420 R348 Discovery Miles 3 480
The Antidote - Happiness for People Who…
Oliver Burkeman Paperback R485 R399 Discovery Miles 3 990
Four Thousand Weeks - Embrace your…
Oliver Burkeman Paperback R265 R212 Discovery Miles 2 120
Life on the Other Side - Fifty Things…
Brian Forst Paperback R535 R447 Discovery Miles 4 470
Life on the Other Side - Fifty Things…
Brian Forst Hardcover R794 R660 Discovery Miles 6 600
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
Charlie Mackesy Hardcover  (6)
R420 R299 Discovery Miles 2 990
The Jordan Rules - The Inside Story of…
Sam Smith Paperback R498 R413 Discovery Miles 4 130
That Little Voice In Your Head - Adjust…
Mo Gawdat Paperback R299 R234 Discovery Miles 2 340
The Imagination Muscle
Albert Read Paperback R402 R329 Discovery Miles 3 290
Reflection of Selection
Jocelyne Leblanc Paperback R489 R411 Discovery Miles 4 110

 

Partners