Rival Enlightenments: Civil and Metaphysical Philosophy in Early Modern Germany

by Ian Hunter

Overview

Rival Enlightenments is a major reinterpretation of early modern German intellectual history. Ian Hunter treats the civil philosophy of Pufendorf and Thomasius and the metaphysical philosophy of Leibniz and Kant as rival intellectual cultures or paideia, thereby challenging all histories premised on Kant's supposed reconciliation and transcendence of the field. This landmark study argues that the marginalization of civil philosophy in post-Kantian philosophical history may itself illustrate the continuing struggle between the rival enlightenments. Combining careful scholarship with vivid polemic, Hunter presents penetrating insights for philosophers and historians alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521792653
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/11/2001
Series:	Ideas in Context , #60
Pages:	426
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.06(d)
Lexile:	1600L (what's this?)

About the Author

Ian Hunter is Professor of Humanities and Founding Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations and texts used; Note on conventions; Introduction; Part I. Rival Enlightenments: 1. University metaphysics; 2. Civil philosophy; Part II. Civil and Metaphysical Philosophy: 3. Leibniz' political metaphysics; 4. Pufendorf's civil philosophy; 5. Thomasius and the desacralisation of politics; 6. Kant and the preservation of metaphysics; Postscript: the kingdom of truth and the civil kingdom; List of references; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...we should thank Hunter for a provocative and valuable book..." Paul Saurette, University of Ottawa

"Hunter's rereading of German intellectual history is original and controversial..." Review of Metaphysics

"Rival Enlightenments is a study of the German Enlightenment by one of the leading scholars of the history of European political, legal, and moral philosophy. It is a work of outstanding scholarship and originality." Economy and Society

From the Publisher