Description
Book SynopsisBefore being declared heretical in 1713, Jansenism was a Catholic movement focused on such central issues as original sin and predestination. In this engaging book, David Selby explores how the Jansenist tradition shaped Alexis de Tocqueville’s life and works and argues that once that connection is understood, we can apply Tocqueville’s political thought in new and surprising ways. Moving from the historical sociology of Jansenism in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France to contemporary debates over the human right to education, the role of religion in democracy, and the nature of political freedom, Selby brings Tocqueville out of the past and makes him relevant to the present, revealing that there is still much to learn from this great theorist of democracy.
Table of ContentsIntroduction. Tocqueville in his Time Chapter 1. Jansenism and Republicanism in France, 1648-1789 Chapter 2. Tocqueville, Jansenism, and French Political Culture, 1789-1859 Chapter 3. The Necessity of the Political in a Democratic Age (I): The Politics of Providence in the Author’s Introduction to Democracy in America Chapter 4. The Necessity of the Political in a Democratic Age (II): Tocqueville's Modern Republicanism and the Dogma of the Sovereignty of the People Chapter 5. The Necessity of the Political in a Democratic Age (III): The Enlightened Interest of the Americans Chapter 6. The Necessity of the Political in a Democratic Age (IV): The Freedom of Education and the "Twin Tolerations" in France, 1843-1850 Chapter 7. The Necessity of the Political in a Democratic Age (V): Tocqueville Antinomies, the Political Utility of Religion, and the American Double Foundation Conclusion: Building a Republic for the Moderns Bibliography
