The Cambridge Companion to Constant (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

Benjamin Constant is widely regarded as a founding father of modern liberalism. The Cambridge Companion to Constant presents a collection of interpretive essays on the major aspects of his life and work by a panel of international scholars, offering a necessary overview for anyone who wants to better understand this important thinker. Separate sections are devoted to Constant as a political theorist and actor, his work as a social analyst and literary critic, and his accomplishments as a historian of religion. Themes covered range from Constant's views on modern liberty, progress, terror, and individualism, to his ideas on slavery and empire, literature, women, and the nature and importance of religion. The Cambridge Companion to Constant is a convenient and accessible guide to Constant and the most up-to-date scholarship on him. The Cambridge Companion to CONSTANT......Page 6 contents......Page 8 preface......Page 10 acknowledgments......Page 16 contributors......Page 18 Introduction......Page 32 1 Benjamin Constant: Life and Work......Page 34 2 Liberalism’s Lucid Illusion......Page 52 3 The Liberty to Denounce: Ancient and Modern......Page 76 4 Constant’s Idea of Modern Liberty......Page 98 5 Benjamin Constant and the Terror......Page 121 6 Constant’s Thought on Slavery and Empire......Page 144 7 Benjamin Constant as a Second Restoration Politician......Page 175 8 Constant and Women......Page 200 9 Individualism and Individuality in Constant......Page 233 10 Literature and Politics in Constant......Page 252 11 The Theory of the Perfectibility of the Human Race......Page 275 12 Religion According to Constant......Page 300 13 Constant on the Religious Spirit of Liberalism......Page 311 14 Constant and Religion: “Theism Descends from Heaven to Earth”......Page 338 Conclusion......Page 374 15 Eclipses and Revivals: Constant’s Reception in France and America, 1830–2007......Page 376 bibliography......Page 404 index......Page 428

Benjamin Constant is now widely regarded as a founding father of modern liberalism. The Cambridge Companion to Constant presents a collection of interpretive essays on the major aspects of his life and work by a panel of international scholars. Separate sections are devoted to Constant as a political theorist and actor, his work as a social analyst and literary critic, and his accomplishments as a historian of religion. Themes covered range from Constant's views on modern liberty, progress, terror, and individualism, to his ideas on slavery and empire, literature, women, and the nature and importance of religion. The Cambridge Companion to Constant is a convenient and accessible guide to Constant and the most up-to-date scholarship on him.

Benjamin Constant is widely regarded as a founding father of modern liberalism. This book presents a collection of interpretive essays on the major aspects of his life and work by a panel of international scholars.