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Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Intellectual History
The Measure Of Wisdom: The Soul, Society And Justice, Travis A. Powers
The Measure Of Wisdom: The Soul, Society And Justice, Travis A. Powers
M.A. in Philosophy of History Theses
Following the insights of Eric Voegelin, this paper attempts to articulate a measuring tool by which Western civilization could test its health. The paper is centered on Plato’s existential principle, tracing its formulation and development through Greek tragedy and Socratic thought, first. The existential principle in its basic formulation is that a societal order reflects the type of people by whom it is composed; stated more tersely, the spirit of the people weave together the spirit of the society. An understanding of the existential principle is given by the example of when Socrates and Plato used the authority of the …
The Virtuous State: Polybius, Machiavelli, And The Idea Of Roman Virtue, Geoffrey Graham
The Virtuous State: Polybius, Machiavelli, And The Idea Of Roman Virtue, Geoffrey Graham
M.A. in Philosophy of History Theses
I will consider the writings of Polybius of Megalopolis (c. 200 BC – c. 118 BC) and those of Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) on the subject of Roman virtue, discussing the concept of virtue, highlighting the conduct of specific Roman citizens, as well as analyzing the Roman constitution and the wider culture from which it arose. Examining the life and historical milieu of Polybius, I'll outline his major contributions to history, and end with a discussion of his conception of virtue in the Republican Roman context. Secondly, after a brief biographical sketch of Machiavelli and listing his significant works, …
The Republican-Liberal Continuum: De-Polarizing The Historiographical Debate, Katrina Loulousis Combs
The Republican-Liberal Continuum: De-Polarizing The Historiographical Debate, Katrina Loulousis Combs
M.A. in Philosophy of History Theses
The historiography of the American Revolution and the Early National Period remains a polarized debate. Historians attribute either classical Whig republican ideology or classical liberal ideology to influencing those periods. However, republicanism and liberalism exist along a philosophical and practical continuum. Because Louis Hartz attributed American liberalism exclusively to John Locke, I first examine Locke’s relationship to Algernon Sidney, observing similarities between these exemplars of liberalism and republicanism. Next I examine the confluence of Thomas Reid’s commonsense moral philosophy (via John Witherspoon) and republicanism, particularly concerning views on man and moral liberty. These commonalities are further demonstrated in Thomas Jefferson’s …