Natural Law Theories in the Early Enlightenment (Ideas in Context, Series Number 58)

This major addition to Ideas in Context examines the development of natural law theories in the early stages of the Enlightenment in Germany and France. T. J. Hochstrasser investigates the influence exercised by theories of natural law from Grotius to Kant, with a comparative analysis of the important intellectual innovations in ethics and political philosophy of the time. Hochstrasser includes the writings of Samuel Pufendorf and his followers who evolved a natural law theory based on human sociability and reason, fostering a new methodology in German philosophy. This book assesses the first histories of political thought since ancient times, giving insights into the nature and influence of debate within eighteenth-century natural jurisprudence. Ambitious in range and conceptually sophisticated, Natural Law Theories in the Early Enlightenment will be of great interest to scholars in history, political thought, law and philosophy. In This Study T.j. Hochstrasser Analyses And Explains The Development Of Natural Law Theories In Germany Between Grotius And Kant. Particular Attention Is Paid To Samuel Pufendorf And His Followers, Who Incorporated Many Of The Key Theoretical Insights Of Thomas Hobbes Into German Political Theory, And Evolved A Natural Law Theory Based On Human Sociability And A Self-sufficient Concept Of Human Reason. In So Doing, They Fostered A New Methodology In German Philosophy, Eclecticism, Which Remained A Major Creative Force In Intellectual Life Down To The Emergence Of Kantian Idealism. This Intellectual Tradition Is Recovered Through A Detailed Analysis Of The So-called 'histories Of Morality', Which Assessed Contemporary Innovations In Ethics And Political Philosophy By Describing The Progress Of The Discipline Since Ancient Times, And Thus Constitute The First Serious Histories Of Political Thought. Equal Consideration Is Also Given To Rationalist Attempts By Leibniz And Wolff To Defend Traditional Scholastic Natural Law Against Hobbes And The Followers Of Pufendorf, And Thus The Work Offers A Detailed Account Of The Range And Importance Of Natural Law Theories Within Germany In The Era Of Enlightened Absolutism, Up To And Including The Onset Of The Kantian Revolution In Moral Philosophy.--jacket. 1. Introduction: Natural Law And Its History In The Early Enlightenment -- 2. Socialitas And The History Of Natural Law: Pufendorf's Defence Of De Jure Naturae Et Gentium -- 3. Voluntarism And Moral Epistemology: A Comparison Of Leibniz And Pufendorf -- 4. Christian Thomasius And The Development Of Pufendorf's Natural Jurisprudence -- 5. Natural Law Theory And Its Historiography In The Era Of Christian Wolff -- 6. Conclusion: The End Of The 'history Of Morality' In Germany. T.j. Hochstrasser. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 220-240) And Index. This book focuses on the development of Platonic philosophy at the hands of Roman writers between the first century BCE and the early fifth century CE. It discusses the interpretation of Plato's Timaeus by Cicero, Apuleius, Calcidius, and Augustine, and examines how these authors created new contexts and settings for the intellectual heritage they received and thereby contributed to the construction of the complex and multifaceted genre of Roman Platonism. It takes advantage of the authors' treatment of Plato's Timaeus as a continuous point of reference to illustrate the individuality and originality of each writer in his engagement with this Greek philosophical text; each chooses a specific vocabulary, methodology, and literary setting for his appropriation of Timaean doctrine. The authors' contributions to the dialogue's history of transmission are shown to have enriched and prolonged the enduring significance of Plato's cosmology. This study examines the development of natural law theories in the early stages of the Enlightenment in Germany and France. T. J. Hochstrasser investigates the influence of theories of natural law from Grotius to Kant, with a comparative analysis of important intellectual innovations in ethics and political philosophy. This book assesses the first histories of political thought, giving insights into eighteenth-century natural jurisprudence. Ambitious in range and conceptually sophisticated, it will be of great interest to scholars in history, political thought, law and philosophy. This study of natural law theories in Germany and France in the early Enlightenment spans Grotius to Kant, giving insights into eighteenth-century natural jurisprudence. Ambitious in range and conceptually sophisticated, it will be of great interest to scholars in history, political thought, law and philosophy. Winner of the Forkosch Prize This study broadly aims to investigate the influence exercised by the theories of natural law developed by Grotius, Hobbes and Pufendorf on the early stages of the Enlightenment in Germany.