Description
Book SynopsisIn the first half of the twentieth century, the rationalist tide had reached its high mark in the arts, politics, and work. But the Holocaust, the Gulag, and other failures have dimmed the popularity of rationalism. However, the evidence of those practical failures would not have been as convincing as it was if not for the existence of a theoretical diagnosis of the malady. This book compares and contrasts the ideas of some of the leading twentieth-century critics of rationalism: Hans-Georg Gadamer, F.A. Hayek, Aurel Kolnai, Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Oakeshott, Michael Polanyi, Gilbert Ryle, Eric Voegelin, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. While each can be seen as a critic of rationalism, were they each attacking the same thing? In what senses did their analyses overlap, and in what senses did they differ? Clarifying these issues, this book will provide important insights into this major intellectual trend of the past century.By including these major thinkers, Tradition v. Rationalism, we se
Trade ReviewCallahan and Trepanier have put together an engaging volume on one of the most influential intellectual currents of modernity: rationalism. Drawing primarily from 20th century critics of rationalism, the essays explore various facets of rationalism with an eye towards the political and spiritual consequences. More than just an historical account of the debate between “tradition” and rationalism, this volume brings to life questions that must be grappled with in 21st century politics. -- David Whitney, Nicholl State University
Professors Callahan and Trepanier have assembled an exceptional group of scholars to produce a collection that is both a valuable study of modern political philosophy and a timely examination of the crisis within Western politics. Anyone seeking to understand the breakdown of rationalism, and how to reconcile the human requirement for both authority and freedom, will find this volume to be indispensable. -- Eric Fleury, College of the Holy Cross
The debate over rationalism in modern politics is perennial, but it is especially significant at present. Recent challenges to the global political and economic order “from below” bring new relevance to twentieth century critics for whom modern rationalism was insufficiently sensitive to particular traditions and circumstances. This volume is a momentous contribution to the broader debate, but in reminding us of the tensions between abstract and concrete rationality, it can also ward us against the temptation to dismiss every contemporary challenge to the staus quo as mere “irrationalism”. Alan Baily, Assistant Professor (Department of Government), Stephen F. Austin State University
Table of ContentsIntroduction, by Gene Callahan and Lee Trepanier Chapter 1: Wittgenstein and the Athens-Jerusalem Conflict, by Grant Havers Chapter 2: Eric Voegelin’s Critique of Ideology, by David Corey Chapter 3: Rationalism in Eric Voegelin, by Daniel John Sportiello Chapter 4: The Diagnosis of Scientism: Eric Voegelin and Michael Polanyi on Science and Philosophy, by Colin Cordner Chapter 5: Personal Participation: Michael Polanyi, Eric Voegelin, and the Indispensability of Faith, by Mark T. Mitchell Chapter 6: Liberalism and the Prospect of Rational Order in Hobbes’s Political Philosophy and the Responses of Oakeshott, Strauss and Voegelin, by Timothy Fuller Chapter 7: The Critique of Rationalism: Ryle and Oakeshott on Tacit Knowledge, by Kenneth B. McIntyre Chapter 8: Two Concepts of Practical Knowledge in Politics: Oakeshott and MacIntyre in Comparison, by Ferenc Hörcher Chapter 9: Between Rationalism and Relativism: Gadamer and MacIntyre on Truth and Finitude, by Nathanael Blake Chapter 10: Was Hayek a Rationalist? by John von Heyking Chapter 11: Hayek and Oakeshott on Rationalism, by Eugene Callahan Chapter 12: Rationalism and Irrationalism: Aurel Kolnai and Michael Oakeshott, by Zoltan Balazs
