As the post-WWII liberal democratic consensus comes under
increasing assault around the globe, Zachary R. Goldsmith
investigates a timely topic: the reemergence of fanaticism. His
book demonstrates how the concept of fanaticism, so often
flippantly invoked with little forethought, actually has a long
history stretching back to ancient times. Tracing this history
through the Reformation and the Enlightenment to our present moment
of political extremism run amok, Goldsmith offers a novel account
of fanaticism, detailing its transformation from a primarily
religious to a political concept around the time of the French
Revolution. He draws on the work of Immanuel Kant, Edmund Burke,
and Fyodor Dostoevsky—all keen observers of fanaticism, and
especially its political variant—in order to explore this crucial
moment in the development of political fanaticism. Examining
conceptualizations of fanaticism from different geographical,
political, temporal, and contextual backgrounds, Goldsmith reveals
how the concept has changed over time and resists easy definition.
Nevertheless, his analysis of the writings of key figures from the
tradition of political thought regarding fanaticism yields a
complex and nuanced understanding of the concept that allows us to
productively identify and observe its most salient characteristics:
irrationality, messianism, the embrace of abstraction, the desire
for novelty, the pursuit of perfection, a lack of limits in
politics, the embrace of violence, certainty, passion, and its
perennial attraction to intellectuals. Goldsmith’s
political-philosophical history of fanaticism offers us an argument
and warning against fanaticism itself, demonstrating that
fanaticism is antidemocratic, illiberal, antipolitical, and never
necessary.
General
Imprint: |
University of PennsylvaniaPress
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
July 2022 |
Authors: |
Zachary R. Goldsmith
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Paper over boards
|
Pages: |
208 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8122-5403-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8122-5403-1 |
Barcode: |
9780812254037 |
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