Jeffrey Church – författare

The Doctrine of the State is a major work of political philosophy and philosophy of history by one of the most important authors of German Idealism, Johann Gottlieb Fichte. It represents Fichte's final sustained attempt to provide a synoptic overview of his entire system, including a summary of his famously evolving Wissenschaftslehre. The work's overriding concern is with founding the rule of reason in an irrational world. Fichte provides a synoptic account of human history from the dawn of humanity, through the ancient world, and into a modern world governed by a kind of secularized Christianity. His account of humanity's development is one that involves the struggle between faith and reason. Fichte's philosophical analysis of history can be compared to other important works of this period, including works by Friedrich Schelling and G. W. F. Hegel. Written against the backdrop of Napoleon's disastrous defeat in Russia in 1813, the book also revisits the question of the nature and purpose of nationhood and conflict among peoples that Fichte had originally pursued in his important nationalist work, the Addresses to the German Nation. This edition also contains translated excerpts from Fichte's 1813 diary, where his fiery republican resistance to tyranny at home and abroad appear most clearly.

The Doctrine of the State is a major work of political philosophy and philosophy of history by one of the most important authors of German Idealism, Johann Gottlieb Fichte. It represents Fichte's final sustained attempt to provide a synoptic overview of his entire system, including a summary of his famously evolving Wissenschaftslehre. The work's overriding concern is with founding the rule of reason in an irrational world. Fichte provides a synoptic account of human history from the dawn of humanity, through the ancient world, and into a modern world governed by a kind of secularized Christianity. His account of humanity's development is one that involves the struggle between faith and reason. Fichte's philosophical analysis of history can be compared to other important works of this period, including works by Friedrich Schelling and G. W. F. Hegel. Written against the backdrop of Napoleon's disastrous defeat in Russia in 1813, the book also revisits the question of the nature and purpose of nationhood and conflict among peoples that Fichte had originally pursued in his important nationalist work, the Addresses to the German Nation. This edition also contains translated excerpts from Fichte's 1813 diary, where his fiery republican resistance to tyranny at home and abroad appear most clearly.

The Doctrine of the State is a major work of political philosophy and philosophy of history by one of the most important authors of German Idealism, Johann Gottlieb Fichte. It represents Fichte's final sustained attempt to provide a synoptic overview of his entire system, including a summary of his famously evolving Wissenschaftslehre. The work's overriding concern is with founding the rule of reason in an irrational world. Fichte provides a synoptic account of human history from the dawn of humanity, through the ancient world, and into a modern world governed by a kind of secularized Christianity. His account of humanity's development is one that involves the struggle between faith and reason. Fichte's philosophical analysis of history can be compared to other important works of this period, including works by Friedrich Schelling and G. W. F. Hegel. Written against the backdrop of Napoleon's disastrous defeat in Russia in 1813, the book also revisits the question of the nature and purpose of nationhood and conflict among peoples that Fichte had originally pursued in his important nationalist work, the Addresses to the German Nation. This edition also contains translated excerpts from Fichte's 1813 diary, where his fiery republican resistance to tyranny at home and abroad appear most clearly.

In the wake of populist challenges throughout the past decade in the U.S. and Europe, liberalism has been described as elitist and out of touch, concerned with protecting and promoting material interests with an orientation that is pragmatic, legalistic, and technocratic. Simultaneously, liberal governments have become increasingly detached from the middle class and its moral needs for purpose and belonging. If liberalism cannot provide spiritual sustenance, individuals will look elsewhere for it, especially in illiberal forms of populism. In Kant, Liberalism, and the Meaning of Life, Jeffrey Church addresses the "meaning deficit" in contemporary liberal societies. Focusing on Immanuel Kant's largely neglected early lectures on anthropology from the 1760s and 1770s, Church argues that Kant's work can serve as a basis for a more meaningful liberalism, one that conceives of freedom and equality for all as a moral vocation of citizens and institutions. Church also asserts that Kant's early view of the meaning of life has important implications for understanding his political theory. Kant saw liberal community as something that helps us realize our destiny on earth as the distinctively free creatures we are. Liberalism, then, is not elitist but a participatory project of all members of society. It is not concerned primarily with material things but with our moral destiny. It is not pragmatic but principled.Church holds that Kant's liberalism rests on a view of the meaning of human existence, and so analyzes Kant's view of the meaning of life and its application to his politics. In particular, Church contends that a fundamental concern included in Kant's liberalism, largely unrecognized by scholars, is to foster the meaning of life for citizens of liberal republican orders. At the same time, Church applies Kant's views of the meaning of life to contemporary problems in liberalism. In particular, he argues that Kant's view of a meaningful liberalism can provide a counterweight to the recent rise of illiberal nationalist or religious forms of community that seem attractive to liberal citizens hungering for meaning in a disenchanted world. Compelling and ambitious, Jeffrey Church provides the first extended treatment of Kant's understanding of the meaning of life and a powerful alternative to procedural liberalism.

In the wake of populist challenges throughout the past decade in the U.S. and Europe, liberalism has been described as elitist and out of touch, concerned with protecting and promoting material interests with an orientation that is pragmatic, legalistic, and technocratic. Simultaneously, liberal governments have become increasingly detached from the middle class and its moral needs for purpose and belonging. If liberalism cannot provide spiritual sustenance, individuals will look elsewhere for it, especially in illiberal forms of populism. In Kant, Liberalism, and the Meaning of Life, Jeffrey Church addresses the "meaning deficit" in contemporary liberal societies. Focusing on Immanuel Kant''s largely neglected early lectures on anthropology from the 1760s and 1770s, Church argues that Kant''s work can serve as a basis for a more meaningful liberalism, one that conceives of freedom and equality for all as a moral vocation of citizens and institutions. Church also asserts that Kant''s early view of the meaning of life has important implications for understanding his political theory. Kant saw liberal community as something that helps us realize our destiny on earth as the distinctively free creatures we are. Liberalism, then, is not elitist but a participatory project of all members of society. It is not concerned primarily with material things but with our moral destiny. It is not pragmatic but principled.Church holds that Kant''s liberalism rests on a view of the meaning of human existence, and so analyzes Kant''s view of the meaning of life and its application to his politics. In particular, Church contends that a fundamental concern included in Kant''s liberalism, largely unrecognized by scholars, is to foster the meaning of life for citizens of liberal republican orders. At the same time, Church applies Kant''s views of the meaning of life to contemporary problems in liberalism. In particular, he argues that Kant''s view of a meaningful liberalism can provide a counterweight to the recent rise of illiberal nationalist or religious forms of community that seem attractive to liberal citizens hungering for meaning in a disenchanted world. Compelling and ambitious, Jeffrey Church provides the first extended treatment of Kant''s understanding of the meaning of life and a powerful alternative to procedural liberalism.

In the wake of populist challenges throughout the past decade in the U.S. and Europe, liberalism has been described as elitist and out of touch, concerned with protecting and promoting material interests with an orientation that is pragmatic, legalistic, and technocratic. Simultaneously, liberal governments have become increasingly detached from the middle class and its moral needs for purpose and belonging. If liberalism cannot provide spiritual sustenance, individuals will look elsewhere for it, especially in illiberal forms of populism. In Kant, Liberalism, and the Meaning of Life, Jeffrey Church addresses the "meaning deficit" in contemporary liberal societies. Focusing on Immanuel Kant''s largely neglected early lectures on anthropology from the 1760s and 1770s, Church argues that Kant''s work can serve as a basis for a more meaningful liberalism, one that conceives of freedom and equality for all as a moral vocation of citizens and institutions. Church also asserts that Kant''s early view of the meaning of life has important implications for understanding his political theory. Kant saw liberal community as something that helps us realize our destiny on earth as the distinctively free creatures we are. Liberalism, then, is not elitist but a participatory project of all members of society. It is not concerned primarily with material things but with our moral destiny. It is not pragmatic but principled.Church holds that Kant''s liberalism rests on a view of the meaning of human existence, and so analyzes Kant''s view of the meaning of life and its application to his politics. In particular, Church contends that a fundamental concern included in Kant''s liberalism, largely unrecognized by scholars, is to foster the meaning of life for citizens of liberal republican orders. At the same time, Church applies Kant''s views of the meaning of life to contemporary problems in liberalism. In particular, he argues that Kant''s view of a meaningful liberalism can provide a counterweight to the recent rise of illiberal nationalist or religious forms of community that seem attractive to liberal citizens hungering for meaning in a disenchanted world. Compelling and ambitious, Jeffrey Church provides the first extended treatment of Kant''s understanding of the meaning of life and a powerful alternative to procedural liberalism.

G. W. F. Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche are often considered the philosophical antipodes of the nineteenth century. In Infinite Autonomy, Jeffrey Church draws on the thinking of both Hegel and Nietzsche to assess the modern Western defense of individuality—to consider whether we were right to reject the ancient model of community above the individual. The theoretical and practical implications of this project are important, because the proper defense of the individual allows for the survival of modern liberal institutions in the face of non-Western critics who value communal goals at the expense of individual rights. By drawing from Hegelian and Nietzschean ideas of autonomy, Church finds a third way for the individual—what he calls the “historical individual,” which goes beyond the disagreements of the ancients and the moderns while nonetheless incorporating their distinctive contributions.

G. W. F. Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche are often considered the philosophical antipodes of the nineteenth century. In Infinite Autonomy, Jeffrey Church draws on the thinking of both Hegel and Nietzsche to assess the modern Western defense of individuality—to consider whether we were right to reject the ancient model of community above the individual. The theoretical and practical implications of this project are important, because the proper defense of the individual allows for the survival of modern liberal institutions in the face of non-Western critics who value communal goals at the expense of individual rights. By drawing from Hegelian and Nietzschean ideas of autonomy, Church finds a third way for the individual—what he calls the “historical individual,” which goes beyond the disagreements of the ancients and the moderns while nonetheless incorporating their distinctive contributions.

Despite the distinctiveness of the digital revolution, the past can still prepare us for present and future transformations. Plato warned about the potential dangers of writing in the Phaedrus centuries ago. Since then, many thinkers have become increasingly aware of the blessings and the curses of sudden and radical change in communication. The invention of the printing press, for example, had significant social and political repercussions-much like the digital revolution. In Old Lessons for New Challenges, contributors examine how significant changes in information transmission can result in major societal and political transformations, including the nature of democracy, the efficacy of public opinion, and the development of civic virtues. It brings together scholars working on various topics and time periods in the history of political thought from Plato through Judith Shklar to provide fresh perspectives on the social and political challenges raised by AI and new media.

Despite the distinctiveness of the digital revolution, the past can still prepare us for present and future transformations. Plato warned about the potential dangers of writing in the Phaedrus centuries ago. Since then, many thinkers have become increasingly aware of the blessings and the curses of sudden and radical change in communication. The invention of the printing press, for example, had significant social and political repercussions-much like the digital revolution. In Old Lessons for New Challenges, contributors examine how significant changes in information transmission can result in major societal and political transformations, including the nature of democracy, the efficacy of public opinion, and the development of civic virtues. It brings together scholars working on various topics and time periods in the history of political thought from Plato through Judith Shklar to provide fresh perspectives on the social and political challenges raised by AI and new media.

Introduction to Political Theory makes political theory approachable for students, pairing classical exercises with contemporary examples to engage readers and give them a strong foundation for future study.

Nietzsche scholars have long been divided over whether Nietzsche is an aristocratic or a democratic thinker. Nietzche's Culture of Humanity overcomes this debate by proving both sides wrong. Jeffrey Church argues that in his early period writings, Nietzsche envisioned a cultural meritocracy that drew on the classical German tradition of Kant and Herder. The young Nietzsche's 'culture of humanity' synthesized the high and low, the genius and the people, the nation and humanity. Nietzsche's early ideal of culture can shed light on his mature period thought, since, Church argues, Nietzsche does not abandon this fundamental commitment to a cultural meritocracy. Nietzche's Culture of Humanity argues that Nietzsche's novel defense of culture can overcome some persisting problems in contemporary liberal theories of culture. As such, this book should interest Nietzsche scholars, political theorists and philosophers interested in modern thought, as well as contemporary thinkers concerned with the politics of culture.

Nietzsche's Unfashionable Observations – often translated as the Untimely Meditations or Thoughts Out of Season – is made up of four independent essays written between 1873 and 1876. The book remains a puzzle: what structure, principles and arguments underlie the essays? Presupposing no prior knowledge of Nietzsche or the text, Jeffrey Church sets the essays in historical and philosophical context, guides you through the text section-by-section and develops a structural overview of each essay. He reveals how the common themes of freedom, culture and genius unify the book.

Nietzsche's Unfashionable Observations – often translated as the Untimely Meditations or Thoughts Out of Season – is made up of four independent essays written between 1873 and 1876. The book remains a puzzle: what structure, principles and arguments underlie the essays? Presupposing no prior knowledge of Nietzsche or the text, Jeffrey Church sets the essays in historical and philosophical context, guides you through the text section-by-section and develops a structural overview of each essay. He reveals how the common themes of freedom, culture and genius unify the book.

This book’s primary purpose is to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Montesquieu’s Persian Letters, a seminal book in classical liberal thought. Persian Letters is a delightfully rich, sympathetic satire of commercial society’s promise and discontents, covering a wide range of issues and themes that shaped the direction of liberal modernity. It consists of a series of letters largely written by two Persian travelers to Paris, who allow modern readers to view Parisian life from the perspective of an outsider. The volume includes contributions from prominent scholars of Montesquieu’s and early career scholars who have recently unearthed new and exciting avenues for understanding this important hinge-figure in modern political thought.

The first translation of a major work of political philosophy by J. G. Fichte, as well several additional works that help contextualize some of his other widely misunderstood translated work.After moving from Jena to Berlin, J. G. Fichte continued to develop and revise his political philosophy. The 1812 Doctrine of Right and Other Political Writings contains most of the major works by Fichte in this period. It includes several pieces, unpublished in Fichte's lifetime, that help contextualize his most well-known work, The Addresses to the German Nation (1807–1808). In addition, this volume contains two lecture series from Fichte's return to teaching at the University of Berlin. The first, Lectures on the Vocation of the Scholar (1811), revisits the topic of the purpose of the philosophical life that Fichte had discussed several times prior in his career. The second, The Doctrine of Right (1812), amplifies and revises his theory of justice, law, and contract that he had originally published in his Foundations of Natural Right (1797–1798).

The first translation of a major work of political philosophy by J. G. Fichte, as well several additional works that help contextualize some of his other widely misunderstood translated work.After moving from Jena to Berlin, J. G. Fichte continued to develop and revise his political philosophy. The 1812 Doctrine of Right and Other Political Writings contains most of the major works by Fichte in this period. It includes several pieces, unpublished in Fichte's lifetime, that help contextualize his most well-known work, The Addresses to the German Nation (1807–1808). In addition, this volume contains two lecture series from Fichte's return to teaching at the University of Berlin. The first, Lectures on the Vocation of the Scholar (1811), revisits the topic of the purpose of the philosophical life that Fichte had discussed several times prior in his career. The second, The Doctrine of Right (1812), amplifies and revises his theory of justice, law, and contract that he had originally published in his Foundations of Natural Right (1797–1798).