Civil Religion

A Dialogue in the History of Political Philosophy

Bibliographic Data

ID19906441
AuthorsRonald Beiner (0000-0002-7955-7658, University of Toronto, corresponding author)
Year2010
Publication date2010-10-25
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueCivil Religion (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9780511763144
OpenAlexW4300467693
Open LibraryOL24468649M
ISBN9780511763144
GOOGLE_BOOK_IDpo6UVzZ1WAAC
LanguageEN
Citations received21

Civil Religion offers philosophical commentaries on more than twenty thinkers stretching from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. It examines four important traditions within the history of modern political philosophy. The civil religion tradition, principally defined by Machiavelli, Hobbes and Rousseau, seeks to domesticate religion by putting it solidly in the service of politics. The liberal tradition pursues an alternative strategy of domestication by seeking to put as much distance as possible between religion and politics. Modern theocracy is a militant reaction against liberalism, reversing the relationship of subordination asserted by civil religion. Finally, a fourth tradition is defined by Nietzsche and Heidegger. Aspects of their thought are not just modern, but hyper-modern, yet they manifest an often-hysterical reaction against liberalism that is fundamentally shared with the theocratic tradition. Together, these four traditions compose a vital dialogue that carries us to the heart of political philosophy itself

Civil Religion · Liberalism · Militant · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Theocracy · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Political Theory and Influence · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies