Big Red Jeff Rubard
2010-01-20 20:37:27 UTC
People afraid to try somethin' new?, March 23, 2004
By Jeffrey Rubard (Beaverton, OR US) - See all my reviews
Those of us in the United States are generally encouraged while young
to acquire a solid grounding in the principles upon which the
government of the Republic is based: but this permits of a couple
different variations, and the story which has it that *the Federalist*
contains the sublimest genius may leave some historical relevancies
out: including this book, which was widely read for many years by the
politically heterodox. And it's a good thing, too, because this volume
contains both the most visionary and the most principled works of
early-modern political philosophy.
As careful readers of the *Ethics* will expect, the *Tractatus
Theologicus-Politicus* is one of the earliest efforts in the genre now
known as *Ideologiekritik*: Spinoza was preceded only by Nicholas of
Cusa in his efforts to untangle what was "of moment" in revealed
religion, specifically the political valences of Scriptural history --
a hugely important topic in every European and American nation, and
one never handled so unstintingly and carefully as here. Following
upon this, a seminal text with respect to every celebrated
"philosophical hermeneutics", we are veritably treated to the
unfinished *Political Treatise*: almost an advertisement for a form of
government both more liberal and popular than that advocated by Jay,
Madison, and Hamilton, but none the more "miserly" for it.
This font of every serious leftist political analysis deserves to be
celebrated "like it should" -- an incredible intellectual coup, and
such shame as the Enlightenment had. Those hewing to Russell's line as
regards the man ought to "take rote", those looking for "the other
America" ought to fall into several kinds of gaps with its help: if
you can believe it, this is a standard of another kind of tolerance.
----------------------
I gave President George W. Bush this book *by post*, along with *The
Protestant Ethic of Capitalism* by Max Weber. He had probably read one
and not the other, "back-to-front".
In America, it *traditionally and standardly* represents our "better
self", two ways: the *Theologico-Political Treatise* is the version of
the "Christian" faith you *ought* to "serve up" to others and the
unfinished *Political Treatise* is, as said above, an
"ad'ver'tis'ment" for a *bold* scheme to make government better in
*These* United States. K? That's-what-it-is.
From Dover Publishing, an old New York "outfit". Always, and only:
Clarendon Press has a better "Locke" for you, *and it still does*.
This is how we do it -- at least on the "classicist" tip. Really. Um,
try your luck with it, like that.
----------------------
And "decennium" -- a Latin *phrase* /not often/ uttered 'round these
parts, like *scientia* which means Who Knows What -- 'classically'
means: "If 'ain't a damn thing changed', fine, let's see how I would
do if it was like *that time I liked* - ten years ago, or *whatever, I
guess* --"
Not Yours to Say, and *why care*.
JDR
By Jeffrey Rubard (Beaverton, OR US) - See all my reviews
Those of us in the United States are generally encouraged while young
to acquire a solid grounding in the principles upon which the
government of the Republic is based: but this permits of a couple
different variations, and the story which has it that *the Federalist*
contains the sublimest genius may leave some historical relevancies
out: including this book, which was widely read for many years by the
politically heterodox. And it's a good thing, too, because this volume
contains both the most visionary and the most principled works of
early-modern political philosophy.
As careful readers of the *Ethics* will expect, the *Tractatus
Theologicus-Politicus* is one of the earliest efforts in the genre now
known as *Ideologiekritik*: Spinoza was preceded only by Nicholas of
Cusa in his efforts to untangle what was "of moment" in revealed
religion, specifically the political valences of Scriptural history --
a hugely important topic in every European and American nation, and
one never handled so unstintingly and carefully as here. Following
upon this, a seminal text with respect to every celebrated
"philosophical hermeneutics", we are veritably treated to the
unfinished *Political Treatise*: almost an advertisement for a form of
government both more liberal and popular than that advocated by Jay,
Madison, and Hamilton, but none the more "miserly" for it.
This font of every serious leftist political analysis deserves to be
celebrated "like it should" -- an incredible intellectual coup, and
such shame as the Enlightenment had. Those hewing to Russell's line as
regards the man ought to "take rote", those looking for "the other
America" ought to fall into several kinds of gaps with its help: if
you can believe it, this is a standard of another kind of tolerance.
----------------------
I gave President George W. Bush this book *by post*, along with *The
Protestant Ethic of Capitalism* by Max Weber. He had probably read one
and not the other, "back-to-front".
In America, it *traditionally and standardly* represents our "better
self", two ways: the *Theologico-Political Treatise* is the version of
the "Christian" faith you *ought* to "serve up" to others and the
unfinished *Political Treatise* is, as said above, an
"ad'ver'tis'ment" for a *bold* scheme to make government better in
*These* United States. K? That's-what-it-is.
From Dover Publishing, an old New York "outfit". Always, and only:
Clarendon Press has a better "Locke" for you, *and it still does*.
This is how we do it -- at least on the "classicist" tip. Really. Um,
try your luck with it, like that.
----------------------
And "decennium" -- a Latin *phrase* /not often/ uttered 'round these
parts, like *scientia* which means Who Knows What -- 'classically'
means: "If 'ain't a damn thing changed', fine, let's see how I would
do if it was like *that time I liked* - ten years ago, or *whatever, I
guess* --"
Not Yours to Say, and *why care*.
JDR