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Examines how Montesquieu, Hume, Smith, and Ferguson's foundational
liberal theories responded to the moral and civic challenges of
early capitalism Brings together discussions of key Enlightenment
thinkers Montesquieu, David Hume, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson
Recaptures a conceptual space in the famous eighteenth-century
commerce and virtue debates, which illustrates the possibility that
one may accept the general principles of modernity while
maintaining a healthy skepticism towards commerce Compares how
Montesquieu and key thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment
developed their distinct theories of honour in the context of
eighteenth-century high finance, namely, in response to the
infamous collapse of the Mississippi and South Sea 'bubbles' (1720)
Provides a heuristic device for identifying when commercial
innovation poses a threat to liberal societies, and a framework for
balancing commercial ends with the public good under conditions of
liberal democracy Expands the currency of ideas available in
foundational liberal thought for identifying an emotional quality
that is necessary for twentyfirst-century citizenship Montesquieu's
Moderate Liberalism and the Scottish Enlightenment responds to a
perennial problem in political theory: how to balance commercial
considerations with the public good. It investigates this dilemma
through the lenses of Enlightenment thinkers whose liberal theories
responded to the hazards of commercial innovation during
capitalism's nascent stages. Vassiliou argues that Montesquieu,
David Hume, Adam Smith, and Adam Ferguson represent a moderate
perspective in foundational liberal thought, which emphasizes the
critical importance of honour. He compares how their liberal
theories uniquely channel human beings' desire for honour to
nourish a sense of interpersonal magnanimity within an
inward-looking, liberal commercial world. In an age of polarized
extremes, we have witnessed restive democracies flirting with
populist, illiberal responses for managing the hazards of
capitalist innovation. Montesquieu and his Scottish counterparts'
foundational liberal theories offer us more viable, middle-ground
prescriptions which are sensitive to the emotional constitution of
a liberal society.
The liberal arts university has been in decline since well before
the virtualization of campus life, increasingly inviting public
skepticism about its viability as an institution of personal,
civic, and professional growth. The current generation of
technologies that mediate our formal and informal academic
interchanges are crystalizing the echo-chamber allegiances that
have developed on our politically charged campuses, frustrating the
university’s capacity to foster thoughtful citizenship among
tomorrow’s leaders. Moreover, as applications such as Teams and
Zoom become ensconced within higher learning institutions,
universities will inadvertently replicate the existing
socioeconomic inequalities that are poisoning America’s civic
culture. Â With Liberal Education and Citizenship in a Free
Society, a collection of 18 original essays, editors Dyer and
Vassiliou hope to deepen our understanding of underappreciated
issues in the history of political thought. For the volume, the
editors have recruited a remarkable and diverse group of scholars
who draw from both their research expertise and personal experience
as educators to assess the value of a liberal arts education in the
face of the market, technological, cultural, and political forces
shaping higher learning today. The contributing authors’
competing perspectives provide innovative insights into how liberal
arts universities might adapt to a post-COVID-19 academic
environment by recalibrating their long-standing pedagogic aims of
helping students formulate self-understanding and the meaning of
thoughtful citizenship.
This book’s primary purpose is to commemorate the 300th
anniversary of Montesquieu’s Persian Letters, a seminal book in
classical liberal thought. Persian Letters is a delightfully rich,
sympathetic satire of commercial society’s promise and
discontents, covering a wide range of issues and themes that shaped
the direction of liberal modernity. It consists of a series of
letters largely written by two Persian travelers to Paris, who
allow modern readers to view Parisian life from the perspective of
an outsider. The volume includes contributions from prominent
scholars of Montesquieu’s and early career scholars who have
recently unearthed new and exciting avenues for understanding this
important hinge-figure in modern political thought.
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