The New Science of Politics Paperback – 15 August 1987

Voegelin desenvolve uma crítica aos modernos movimentos políticos de massa a partir do conceito de gnosticismo. Em sua visão, movimentos como o progressismo, o comunismo, o fascismo e o nazismo apresentariam traços gnósticos. Mais ainda, o pensamento dos pais fundadores da modernidade, como Hegel, Marx e Freud seria gnóstico, o que explicaria a revolta da dos modernos em relação a Deus e à realidade.

Eric Voegelin, who died in 1985, is one of the giants of intellectual history and political philosophy. Unfortunately, he is far less well-recognized outside of a small scholarly community than some of the poseurs who foist quack theories on the public under the guise of "political philosophy." The New Science of Politics, based on Voegelin's Walgreen Lectures, can be read as a theoretical companion to his magisterial Order and History, a five-volume elaboration of the theories presented here. Voegelin provides an examination of political community and its representations through symbolic appropriation and the underlying basis of political order throughout history. Equally, Voegelin deals with misappropriation of symbols in the form of Gnosticism, which emerged at the dawn of the middle ages. His diagnostic exercise leads to an examination of modernity, which is characterized by advance and decline, the nature of of our own times. Modernist movements such as Nazism and Communism embody gnostic misappropriation of the symbolization of order. Writing in the immediate postwar period as an Austrian refugee from Hitler, with a command of ancient and modern philosophy and history and access to documentation in a dozen languages, Voegelin both lays the foundation for a return to the Aristotelean tradition of political philosophy and analysis and provides the personal witness of a research physician who has examined the patient at close hand. There is no better short book in our times for accomplishing Dr. Johnson's admonition to clear your mind of cant, or providing a sound basis for recognizing the corruption of intellectual and personal standards in current politics and scholarship, or the infection of scholarship by extremist politics. Voegelin has a number of brilliant students carrying on his work. However, unlike acolytes of Leo Strauss and Allan Bloom and their neo-conservative entourage, who represent a very different and self-referential strain in modern political analysis, Voegelin's students have not populated the high offices of government. Given the power of Voegelin's model presented in The New Science of Politics, I expect and hope that his long-term influence will weigh decisively in the war on modernity and its pernicious supporting social science-based infrastructure. To understand the contours of the problem, The New Science of Politics is an indispensible guide and a model of elegant anlysis and writing.

O leitor é guiado passo a passo no diagnóstico da organização social e política baseado na história e suas influências.Quais as ideologias ou idéias formam uma sociedade?As pessoas se organizam por algum motivo?Como as políticas e políticos funcionam na prática?Há solução para a desordem?Essas e muitas outras perguntas são respondidas.Recomendo!

I received the book I order: The New Science of Politics very quickly in the mail. There were no issues with the book. It was obviously used, but I knew that when I ordered. Thanks!

The New Science of Politics (NSP henceforth) is packed and packed with information, but unlike most philosophers, Voegelin keeps the length of the book short. This isn't to say the NSP lacks nuance, however. Voegelin's ideas are provocative, full of substance, and not your average every-day take on the political. Despite having read the book twice, I am still trying to get my mind around some of the theories and implications of said theories presented in NSP.The amount of material and ideas that Voegelin interacts with in NSP is astounding, and is characteristic of his work. He draws from a multitude of different sources, theories, examples, etc.However, I do have a word of warning. Voegelin comes from the continental tradition of philosophy and English is not his forst language. This means that the book will not be easy reading for us analytic Americans. I had to start over halfway through the book, but once I did, it was a much smoother and more enjoyable ride.All in all, this book is worth the money if you are in to political theory.