The New Science of Politics - (Walgreen Foundation Lectures) 74th Edition by Eric Voegelin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A classic work of political theory by one of the leading political philosophers of the twentieth century

What Eric Voegelin attempts in The New Science of Politics is nothing less ambitious than a complete theory of humanity, society, and history. To build his theory, Voegelin draws on a breathtaking range of subjects from throughout history, including the Mongol Orders of Submission, the Behistun Inscription, and a controversy over an alter to the goddess Victoria in the Roman Forum. Addressing the access to truth afforded by myth, revelation, and philosophy, Voegelin then carefully contrasts each with gnosticism. The resulting book is a heady exploration of the development of European politics through the Western tradition and the ongoing importance of the inner quest for transcendent reality. =

Review Quotes

"A lodestar to thinking men who seek a restoration of political science on the classic and Christian basis . . . a significant accomplishment in the retheorization of our age.--Anthony Harrigan "Christian Century"

"This book is beautifully constructed . . . his erudition constantly brings a startling illumination."--Martin Wright "International Affairs"

"This book must be considered one of the most enlightening essays on the character of European politics that has appeared in half a century. . . . This is a book powerful and vivid enough to make agreement or disagreement with even its main thesis relatively unimportant."-- "Times Literary Supplement"

"Voegelin . . . is one of the most distinguished interpreters to Americans of the non-liberal streams of European thought. . . . He brings a remarkable breadth of knowledge, and a historical imagination that ranges frequently into brilliant insights and generalizations."--Francis G. WIlson "American Political Science Review"

About the Author

Eric Voegelin (1901-1985) was Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at the time of his death. He is the author of numerous books in addition to his major five-volume work Order and History.