Robert P Kraynak
Biographic Data
| ID | 1025665 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert P Kraynak |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert P |
| FAMILY NAME | Kraynak |
| SIGNATURE | KRAYNAK R P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Colgate University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 43 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Cambridge History of the Papacy
Throughout its history, the papacy has engaged with the world. Volume 1 addresses how the papacy became an institution, and how it distinguished itself from other powers, both secular and religious. Aptly titled 'The Two Swords,' it explores the papacy's navigation, negotiation, and re-negotiation, initially of its place and its role amid changing socio-political ideas and practices. Surviving and thriving in such environment naturally had an imp…
Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God and Politics in the Fallen World
Do Christianity and modern liberal democracy share a common moral vision, or are they opposed and even hostile to each other? In _Christian Faith and Modern Democracy_, Robert Kraynak challenges the commonly accepted view that Christianity is inherently compatible with modern democratic society. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Kraynak argues that there is no necessary connection between Christianity and any form of government and that, in many i…
The American Founding as a Blended Scotch: A Reply to Thomas West
One of the disputed questions about the American founding is whether its principles were derived from multiple sources (like a blended scotch) or from a single predominating tradition (like a single malt). In The Political Theory of the American Founding, Thomas West makes a strong case for the dominant influence of modern natural rights, yet he gives only a brief consideration of the “blended” or “amalgam” thesis that traces the founding to mult…
The Origins of “Social Justice” in the Natural Law Philosophy of Antonio Rosmini
“Social justice” is a powerful idea today, but its origins and meaning are unclear. One of the first to use the term was Antonio Rosmini, author of The Constitution under Social Justice (1848) and other works of moral philosophy. I argue that Rosmini arrived at his idea of social justice by developing Thomistic natural law theory into a novel view of the common good that balances two principles: (1) the equal rights and dignity of persons as ends…
Harry V. Jaffa: In Memoriam—1918–2015
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button
Crisis of the Strauss Divided: Essays on Leo Strauss and Straussianism, East and West
“Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was the greatest mind in political philosophy in the twentieth century, and possibly in other centuries as well. That, I am well aware, is a judgment I share with very few, if any.” So writes Harry V. Jaffa in his epilogue to this volume. Including an extensive unpublished essay entitled “Straussian Geography: A Memoir and Commentary,” Crisis of the Strauss Divided brings together a collection of Jaffa’s published argumen…
Moral Order in the Western Tradition: Harry Jaffa's Grand Synthesis of Athens, Jerusalem, and Peoria
Harry V. Jaffa has inspired a generation of students in American political thought by defending the natural rights principles of the Declaration of Independence and of Abraham Lincoln. Jaffa is also a defender of Leo Strauss's idea of a “political science of natural right,” which Strauss drew primarily from classical Greek political philosophy. Jaffa's efforts to defend the several strands of the Western natural right tradition led him to develop…
Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God and Politics in the Fallen World
Jacques Maritain: The Philosopher in Society . James V. Schall Jacques Maritain (1882-1973): Christian Democrat, and the Quest for a New Commonwealth . M. Susan Power
The Christian Democracy of Glenn Tinder and Jacques Maritain
A striking feature of contemporary Christianity is the new consensus that has emerged about politics. Almost all churches and theologians now believe that the form of government most compatible with the Christian religion is democracy. Of course, an important difference still exists between Christians who support liberal democracy and those who cling to hopes for some kind of Marxist rule. But even this difference implies that the only serious de…
Tocqueville's Constitutionalism
For the ancient philosophers , constitutionalism meant classifying regimes and constructing regimes to form virtuous citizens. In the modern world it generally means checks and balances, institutional mechanisms limiting the power of government and protecting private rights. In Democracy in America Tocqueville attempts to combine both views in his interpretation of the U.S. constitutional system. He employs the regime analysis of ancient constitu…
Hobbes on Barbarism and Civilization
Hobbes' political science is based on the claim that civil society hitherto has been founded improperly and is apt to dissolve into civil war. The historical evidence for this claim, however, is not presented systematically in Hobbes' political treatises; it must be reconstructed from his diverse historical writings. In these writings Hobbes analyzes the history of man from barbarism to civilization, and shows that the evolution of political auth…
Hobbes's Behemoth and the Argument for Absolutism
Hobbes's history of the English Civil War, The Behemoth, has been neglected by contemporary scholars, yet it provides the clearest statement of the problem that Hobbes's political science is designed to solve. In Behemoth, Hobbes shows that societies such as seventeenth century England inevitably degenerate into civil war because they are founded on authoritative opinion. The claim that there is a single, authoritative definition of Tightness or …
John Locke: From Absolutism to Toleration
Many of Locke's early writings have been discovered and published in the last 30 years. Among them are two short tracts in which Locke argues that the power of the civil magistrate should be absolute. Because these early tracts are very different from Locke's later teachings, they have been misunderstood by contemporary scholars who do not see any connection between absolutism and liberal toleration. I explain the connection by reconstructing Loc…
John Locke: From Absolutism to Toleration
Many of Locke's early writings have been discovered and published in the last 30 years. Among them are two short tracts in which Locke argues that the power of the civil magistrate should be absolute. Because these early tracts are very different from Locke's later teachings, they have been misunderstood by contemporary scholars who do not see any connection between absolutism and liberal toleration. I explain the connection by reconstructing Loc…
Tocqueville's Constitutionalism
For the ancient philosophers , constitutionalism meant classifying regimes and constructing regimes to form virtuous citizens. In the modern world it generally means checks and balances, institutional mechanisms limiting the power of government and protecting private rights. In Democracy in America Tocqueville attempts to combine both views in his interpretation of the U.S. constitutional system. He employs the regime analysis of ancient constitu…
Hobbes on Barbarism and Civilization
Hobbes' political science is based on the claim that civil society hitherto has been founded improperly and is apt to dissolve into civil war. The historical evidence for this claim, however, is not presented systematically in Hobbes' political treatises; it must be reconstructed from his diverse historical writings. In these writings Hobbes analyzes the history of man from barbarism to civilization, and shows that the evolution of political auth…
Hobbes's Behemoth and the Argument for Absolutism
Hobbes's history of the English Civil War, The Behemoth, has been neglected by contemporary scholars, yet it provides the clearest statement of the problem that Hobbes's political science is designed to solve. In Behemoth, Hobbes shows that societies such as seventeenth century England inevitably degenerate into civil war because they are founded on authoritative opinion. The claim that there is a single, authoritative definition of Tightness or …
The Origins of “Social Justice” in the Natural Law Philosophy of Antonio Rosmini
“Social justice” is a powerful idea today, but its origins and meaning are unclear. One of the first to use the term was Antonio Rosmini, author of The Constitution under Social Justice (1848) and other works of moral philosophy. I argue that Rosmini arrived at his idea of social justice by developing Thomistic natural law theory into a novel view of the common good that balances two principles: (1) the equal rights and dignity of persons as ends…
Harry V. Jaffa: In Memoriam—1918–2015
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button
John Locke: From Absolutism to Toleration
Many of Locke's early writings have been discovered and published in the last 30 years. Among them are two short tracts in which Locke argues that the power of the civil magistrate should be absolute. Because these early tracts are very different from Locke's later teachings, they have been misunderstood by contemporary scholars who do not see any connection between absolutism and liberal toleration. I explain the connection by reconstructing Loc…
Hobbes's Behemoth and the Argument for Absolutism
Hobbes's history of the English Civil War, The Behemoth, has been neglected by contemporary scholars, yet it provides the clearest statement of the problem that Hobbes's political science is designed to solve. In Behemoth, Hobbes shows that societies such as seventeenth century England inevitably degenerate into civil war because they are founded on authoritative opinion. The claim that there is a single, authoritative definition of Tightness or …
Hobbes on Barbarism and Civilization
Hobbes' political science is based on the claim that civil society hitherto has been founded improperly and is apt to dissolve into civil war. The historical evidence for this claim, however, is not presented systematically in Hobbes' political treatises; it must be reconstructed from his diverse historical writings. In these writings Hobbes analyzes the history of man from barbarism to civilization, and shows that the evolution of political auth…
Tocqueville's Constitutionalism
For the ancient philosophers , constitutionalism meant classifying regimes and constructing regimes to form virtuous citizens. In the modern world it generally means checks and balances, institutional mechanisms limiting the power of government and protecting private rights. In Democracy in America Tocqueville attempts to combine both views in his interpretation of the U.S. constitutional system. He employs the regime analysis of ancient constitu…
The Christian Democracy of Glenn Tinder and Jacques Maritain
A striking feature of contemporary Christianity is the new consensus that has emerged about politics. Almost all churches and theologians now believe that the form of government most compatible with the Christian religion is democracy. Of course, an important difference still exists between Christians who support liberal democracy and those who cling to hopes for some kind of Marxist rule. But even this difference implies that the only serious de…
Jacques Maritain: The Philosopher in Society . James V. Schall Jacques Maritain (1882-1973): Christian Democrat, and the Quest for a New Commonwealth . M. Susan Power
Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God and Politics in the Fallen World
Moral Order in the Western Tradition: Harry Jaffa's Grand Synthesis of Athens, Jerusalem, and Peoria
Harry V. Jaffa has inspired a generation of students in American political thought by defending the natural rights principles of the Declaration of Independence and of Abraham Lincoln. Jaffa is also a defender of Leo Strauss's idea of a “political science of natural right,” which Strauss drew primarily from classical Greek political philosophy. Jaffa's efforts to defend the several strands of the Western natural right tradition led him to develop…
Crisis of the Strauss Divided: Essays on Leo Strauss and Straussianism, East and West
“Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was the greatest mind in political philosophy in the twentieth century, and possibly in other centuries as well. That, I am well aware, is a judgment I share with very few, if any.” So writes Harry V. Jaffa in his epilogue to this volume. Including an extensive unpublished essay entitled “Straussian Geography: A Memoir and Commentary,” Crisis of the Strauss Divided brings together a collection of Jaffa’s published argumen…
Harry V. Jaffa: In Memoriam—1918–2015
An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button
The Origins of “Social Justice” in the Natural Law Philosophy of Antonio Rosmini
“Social justice” is a powerful idea today, but its origins and meaning are unclear. One of the first to use the term was Antonio Rosmini, author of The Constitution under Social Justice (1848) and other works of moral philosophy. I argue that Rosmini arrived at his idea of social justice by developing Thomistic natural law theory into a novel view of the common good that balances two principles: (1) the equal rights and dignity of persons as ends…
Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God and Politics in the Fallen World
Do Christianity and modern liberal democracy share a common moral vision, or are they opposed and even hostile to each other? In _Christian Faith and Modern Democracy_, Robert Kraynak challenges the commonly accepted view that Christianity is inherently compatible with modern democratic society. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Kraynak argues that there is no necessary connection between Christianity and any form of government and that, in many i…
The American Founding as a Blended Scotch: A Reply to Thomas West
One of the disputed questions about the American founding is whether its principles were derived from multiple sources (like a blended scotch) or from a single predominating tradition (like a single malt). In The Political Theory of the American Founding, Thomas West makes a strong case for the dominant influence of modern natural rights, yet he gives only a brief consideration of the “blended” or “amalgam” thesis that traces the founding to mult…
The Cambridge History of the Papacy
Throughout its history, the papacy has engaged with the world. Volume 1 addresses how the papacy became an institution, and how it distinguished itself from other powers, both secular and religious. Aptly titled 'The Two Swords,' it explores the papacy's navigation, negotiation, and re-negotiation, initially of its place and its role amid changing socio-political ideas and practices. Surviving and thriving in such environment naturally had an imp…
Law (11 works) · Philosophy (11 works) · Political science (11 works) · Politics (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Philosophy (8 works) · Sociology (6 works) · American Constitutional Law and Politics (5 works) · History (5 works) · Religious studies (5 works)