Description
Book SynopsisAnalyzing the relationship between religion and politics throughout the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, as well as classical and medieval political philosophical sources, Challenging Theocracy critiques the contemporary formation of theocracy and the persistence of theocratic ideas around the world.
Table of ContentsPart One: Theocracy in Ancient Political Thought and Practice Theocracy as Temptation: Empire and Mindfulness Fred Dallmayr The Confrontation between Classical Political Philosophy and the Gods of the City Mark Lutz Between Rationalism and Theocracy: Plato, the Mysteries, and F.W.J. Schelling’s Analysis of the Modern State Steven McGuire The Place of Religion in Politics: On Analogous Gods and the Piety of the Unspoken Toivo Koivukoski The Aristotelian Roots of Religious Governance Approaches Jeremy Neill Part Two: Theocracy and Modern State Politics The Non-Theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) Houchang Hassan-Yari Islamism in North Africa: From Cairo to Tunis Jeffry Halverson Theocratic Arguments in Judaism Alan Mittleman Saving Miracles: Political Theology and Theocracy in the Schmitt-Benjamin Encounter Hermínio Meireles Teixeira Part Three: Responding to the Challenges of Theocracy Theocracy’s Challenge Peter Simpson The Impossibility of Theocracy: The Weakness of the Gods Yvonne Sherwood Understanding Our Adversaries: Ancient vs. Modern Political Thought James Franke and Laurie Johnson Religion, Tolerance and American Theocratic Politics: Lessons for the Contemporary Era Scott Hibbard Shaftesbury’s Characteristics and the Problem of Priestcraft Ronald Beiner
