What do you think?
Rate this book
Eric Voegelin
During his distinguished academic career, Eric Voegelin was described as the most important philosopher of history and consciousness since Toynbee; a political theorist of exceptional scope and erudition; a theologian with profound insights into the nature of religious experience. Similarly, Voegelin has been interpreted by his critics using virtually every ideological label fascist, communist, liberal, conservative, existentialist, fideist, socialist, reactionary, Jew, Catholic, and Protestant. Regardless of such efforts to characterize his writings using such neat categories, Voegelin has been celebrated by intellectuals of all stripes for the fresh new light he has cast on the modern predicament.
Widely recognized political theorist Thomas Heilke contends that while some of these appellations may have elements of truth, none of these labels are ultimately capable of properly representing the essence of Voegelin's work. With startling new insights into the theoretical foundations of Voegelin's writings, Heilke's gripping analysis and compelling conclusions demonstrate how his subject was primarily a philosopher in quest of reality, and why no ideological category can grasp the core of such an intellectual journey. This book will be of interest to political theorists, theologians, philosophers, and intellectual historians.
Widely recognized political theorist Thomas Heilke contends that while some of these appellations may have elements of truth, none of these labels are ultimately capable of properly representing the essence of Voegelin's work. With startling new insights into the theoretical foundations of Voegelin's writings, Heilke's gripping analysis and compelling conclusions demonstrate how his subject was primarily a philosopher in quest of reality, and why no ideological category can grasp the core of such an intellectual journey. This book will be of interest to political theorists, theologians, philosophers, and intellectual historians.
204 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 31, 2020
An introduction to Voegelin's thought. The biggest problem with this book is Heilke does not really explain Voegelin in an accessible way. Very often, he just compiles Voegelin's own texts and some commentators' discussion together, and does not really explain Voegelin's notoriously bizarre/idiosyncratic terms to students. This means that you may feel quite confused in reading and hard to finish this book if you are without any prior knowledge about Voegelin's thought.
However, some gems are still noticeable. For instance, Heilke starts with Voegelin's theory of consciousness. This is a correct move, for one cannot understand what things like 'Gnosticism' means without the knowledge about the consciousness of 'reality' or 'truth'. Another interesting thing is that Heilke makes it clear that Voegelin's thought has two origins: Christianity and Platonic & Aristotelian philosophy, which is an absolutely right summary. This being said, I personally do not recommend this book to any first-time reader of Voegelin. This book is more suitable for those who already know a little about Voeglin and hope to further their understanding.
However, some gems are still noticeable. For instance, Heilke starts with Voegelin's theory of consciousness. This is a correct move, for one cannot understand what things like 'Gnosticism' means without the knowledge about the consciousness of 'reality' or 'truth'. Another interesting thing is that Heilke makes it clear that Voegelin's thought has two origins: Christianity and Platonic & Aristotelian philosophy, which is an absolutely right summary. This being said, I personally do not recommend this book to any first-time reader of Voegelin. This book is more suitable for those who already know a little about Voeglin and hope to further their understanding.
Displaying 1 of 1 review