Anti-Pelagian Imagination in Political Theory and International Relations

Nicholas Rengger is Professor of Political Theory and International Relations at St Andrews and a member of the Academia Europaea. He has held visiting appointments at Oxford, LSE and the University of Southern California and from 2011–14 was a Global Ethics Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs, New York.

'This wide ranging and learned work will establish Nicholas Rengger as one of the most impressive writers on international relations today.' - Steven B. Smith, Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science, Yale University, USA'In open and engaging prose, Rengger offers a thorough-going study of some of the most important books that have shaped the debate on political theory and international relations. It displays a formidable intellectual grasp and the kind of moral conviction rarely found in today's academic discourse. It is a striking and sometimes dazzling commentary on what the author calls 'modern anti-Pelagianism', a lens through he looks at how writers as diverse as John Gray and Jean Bethke Elshtein have interrogated the troubles and discontents of our day.' - Christopher Coker, Professor, London School of Economics, UK'International theory has needed regular jolts of history and philosophy to sustain its vitality: by proposing a new typology of "anti-Pelagian" thought, Nicholas Rengger has given the field another welcome shot in the arm. His wide-ranging collection of essays has something for almost everyone; they will not all agree with the argument, but he does provide substantial material for productive debate.' - David Armitage, Harvard University, USA

• PrefaceAcknowledgements Introduction. Dealing in Darkness? Varieties of Modern Anti-Pelagianism Progress: Kant, Mendelsohn and the Very Idea Bull: A Double Vision?Remember the Aeneid: (And Beware Greek GiftsHuman Rights: Emancipation or Incarceration? Dystopic Liberalism: Realism Tamed or Liberalism Betrayed? Progress With Price? Connolly: Ambiguous PluralismGray: The End(s) of Progress?Strauss: The impossibility of justiceElshtain 1: Anti-Pelagian or not?Elshtain 2: Violence and the Two Sovereigns Post-Secularism: Metaphysical not Political? Epilogue: Tragedy or Scepticism