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Historians of ideas, and students of nationalism in particular,
have traced the origins of much of our current vocabulary and ways
of thinking about the nation back to Johann Gottfried Herder. This
volume provides a clear, readable, and reliable translation of Auch
eine Philosophie der Geschichte zur Bildung der Menschheit ,
supplemented by some of Herder's other important writings on
politics and history. The editors' insightful Introduction traces
the role of Herder's thought in the evolution of nationalism and
highlights its influence on fields such as history, anthropology,
and politics. The volume is designed to give English-speaking
readers more ready access to the thinker whom Isaiah Berlin called
the father of the related notions of nationalism, historicism, and
Volksgeist.
Hobbes's concept of the natural condition of mankind became an
inescapable point of reference for subsequent political thought,
shaping the theories of emulators and critics alike, and has had a
profound impact on our understanding of human nature, anarchy, and
international relations. Yet, despite Hobbes's insistence on
precision, the state of nature is an elusive concept. Has it ever
existed and, if so, for whom? Hobbes offered several answers to
these questions, which taken together reveal a consistent strategy
aimed at providing his readers with a possible, probable, and
memorable account of the consequences of disobedience. This book
examines the development of this powerful image throughout Hobbes's
works, and traces its origins in his sources of inspiration. The
resulting trajectory of the state of nature illuminates the ways in
which Hobbes employed a rhetoric of science and a science of
rhetoric in his relentless pursuit of peace.
Hobbes's concept of the natural condition of mankind became an
inescapable point of reference for subsequent political thought,
shaping the theories of emulators and critics alike, and has had a
profound impact on our understanding of human nature, anarchy, and
international relations. Yet, despite Hobbes's insistence on
precision, the state of nature is an elusive concept. Has it ever
existed and, if so, for whom? Hobbes offered several answers to
these questions, which taken together reveal a consistent strategy
aimed at providing his readers with a possible, probable, and
memorable account of the consequences of disobedience. This book
examines the development of this powerful image throughout Hobbes's
works, and traces its origins in his sources of inspiration. The
resulting trajectory of the state of nature illuminates the ways in
which Hobbes employed a rhetoric of science and a science of
rhetoric in his relentless pursuit of peace.
What makes individuals with divergent and often conflicting
interests join together and act in unison? By drawing on the fear
of external threats, this book develops a theory of 'negative
association' that examines the dynamics captured by the maxim 'The
enemy of my enemy is my friend'. It then traces its role from Greek
and Roman political thought, through Machiavelli and the reason of
state thinkers, and Hobbes and his emulators and critics, to the
realists of the twentieth century. By focusing on the role of fear
and enmity in the formation of individual and group identity, this
book reveals an important tradition in the history of political
thought and offers insights into texts that are considered
familiar. This book demonstrates that the fear of external threats
is an essential element of the formation and preservation of
political groups and that its absence renders political association
unsustainable.
What makes individuals with divergent and often conflicting
interests join together and act in unison? By drawing on the fear
of external threats, this book develops a theory of 'negative
association' that examines the dynamics captured by the maxim 'The
enemy of my enemy is my friend'. It then traces its role from Greek
and Roman political thought, through Machiavelli and the reason of
state thinkers, and Hobbes and his emulators and critics, to the
realists of the twentieth century. By focusing on the role of fear
and enmity in the formation of individual and group identity, this
book reveals an important tradition in the history of political
thought and offers insights into texts that are considered
familiar. This book demonstrates that the fear of external threats
is an essential element of the formation and preservation of
political groups and that its absence renders political association
unsustainable.
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