Not by Reason Alone: Religion, History and Identity in Early Modern Political Thought by Joshua Mitchell

by Joshua Mitchell

Masterfully interweaving political, religious, and historical themes, Not by Reason Alone creates a new interpretation of early modern political thought. Where most accounts assume that modern thought followed a decisive break with Christianity, Joshua Mitchell reveals that the line between the age of faith and that of reason is not quite so clear. Instead, he shows that the ideas of Luther, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau draw on history, rather than reason alone, for a sense of political authority.

Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

Joshua Mitchell is a professor of Government at Georgetown University and a “1776 Unites” partner.

Reviews

[Kelvin Yu]

JM is one of the top political theorists of our time according to Jake G