Pufendorf’s Theory of Sociability: Passions, Habits and Social Order (The New Synthese Historical Library, 77)

This book centres on Samuel Pufendorf’s (1632–1694) moral and political philosophy, a subject of recently renewed interest among intellectual historians, philosophers and legal scholars in the English-speaking world. Pufendorf’s significance in conceptualizing sociability in a way that ties moral philosophy, the theory of the state, political economy, and moral psychology together has already been acknowledged, but this book is the first systematic investigation of the moral psychological underpinnings of Pufendorf’s theory of sociability in their own right. Readers will discover how Pufendorf’s psychological and social explanation of sociability plays a crucial role in his natural law theory. By drawing attention to Pufendorf’s scattered remarks and observations on human psychology, a new interpretation of the importance of moral psychology is presented. The author maintains that Pufendorf’s reflection on the psychological and physical capacities of human nature also matters for his description of how people adopt sociability as their moral standard in practice. We see how, since Pufendorf’s interest in human nature is mainly political, moral psychological formulations are important for Pufendorf’s theorizing of social and political order. This work is particularly useful for scholars investigating the multifaceted role of passions and emotions in the history of moral and political philosophy. It also affords a better understanding of what later philosophers, such as Smith, Hume or Rousseau, might have find appealing in Pufendorf’s writings. As such, this book will also interest researchers of the Enlightenment, natural law and early modern philosophy. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 About the Author 10 Abbreviations and Note on Translations 11 Chapter 1: Introduction: Moral Psychology and Sociability 13 Chapter 2: Reason and Habits 29 2.1 Rational Demonstration of the Principle of Socialitas 30 2.2 Moral and Physical Entities and the Natural Condition of Humankind 34 2.3 Habitual Adoption of Moral Norms 41 2.4 Conscience 47 2.5 Will, Understanding and Moral Accountability 53 2.6 The State and Habituation 64 Chapter 3: Passions 70 3.1 Human Nature and Passions 72 3.2 The Will’s Ability to Restrain the Passions 77 3.3 Understanding and Shame 81 3.4 Cultivation of the Mind 85 3.5 Rational Self–Love 91 3.6 Fear of God’s Punishment 96 3.7 Fear and Political Governance 102 Chapter 4: The Desire for Esteem 109 4.1 Esteem 111 4.2 Ambition 118 4.3 Self-Esteem and Resentment 123 4.4 Competition for Intensive Esteem and Honour 130 4.5 Duties of Humanity and Gratitude 135 4.6 Desire for Esteem as a Social Passion 143 Chapter 5: The Inclination to Self-Preservation 147 5.1 The Duty to Stay Alive 149 5.2 The Coercive Effects of the Inclination to Self-Preservation 155 5.3 Resistance Theory and a Prisoner’s Right to Escape 161 5.4 The Principle of Necessity and Property 167 Chapter 6: Conclusion 175 Bibliography 180 Author Index 189 Subject Index 192 Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction: Moral Psychology and Sociability (Heikki Haara)....Pages 1-16 Reason and Habits (Heikki Haara)....Pages 17-57 Passions (Heikki Haara)....Pages 59-97 The Desire for Esteem (Heikki Haara)....Pages 99-136 The Inclination to Self-Preservation (Heikki Haara)....Pages 137-164 Conclusion (Heikki Haara)....Pages 165-169 Back Matter ....Pages 171-188