Idealist Political Philosophy: Pluralism and Conflict in the Absolute Idealist Tradition

231 Pages·2008·21.77 MB·English

by  Colin Tyler

Colin Tyler
Idealist Political
Philosophy
Pluralism and Conflict in the
Absolute Idealist Tradition
I'uiiliiiuum
C O N T I N U U M S T U D I E S IN B R I T I S H P II I L O S Ο I» Il V
IDEALIST POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Continuum Studies in British Philosophy:
David Berman. Berkeley and Irish Philosophy
Michael K. Potter, Bertrand Russell's Ethics
Sajahan Miah, Russell 's Theory of Perception
Angela M. Coventry, Hume's Theory of Causation
Colin Hcydt, Rethinking Mill's Ethics
Stephen Lalor, Matthew Tind/il, Freethinker
John R. Fitzpatrick, John Stuart Mill's Political Philosophy
IDEALIST POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
PLURALISM AND CONFLICT IN THE
ABSOLUTE IDEALIST TRADITION
Colin Tyler
A
ι·<Ι1ίΪΊ1ΙΙΐηΐ
Continuum International Publishing Group
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I; Colin Tyler 2006
First published 2006
Paperback edition 2008
All rights reserved. No part of thu publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from
the publishers.
Colin Tyler has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988,
to l»e identified as Author of this work
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: PB: 978-0-826vM68:M
Typeset by YI IT Ltd, London
Printed and bound by Lightning Source
Is the world· rising.
From the shambles of the old?
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, ‘The Rover’
For Pip,
my wife,
with love
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Con len is
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1 Hegel on statc-formation and the tragedy of war 21
2 Ά working theory of life': T. H. Green on franchise reform 59
3 ‘An unregenerate Hegelian': Edward Caird on History and
Sittlichkeit 101
4 Bernard Bosanquct on Individuality and the State 136
5 Idealism and cultural diversity 166
Conclusion 200
Bibliography 202
Index 215
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Acknowledgements
I began working on ehe material in this book nearly eight years ago. I have
incurred many debts, not least to the participants at various conferences and
seminars in Hull, Lincoln. Ixmdon, Oxford, Sheffield, Tokyo, York and
Yokohama. I also wish to thank the following scholars for their helpful com­
ments on various drafts of parts of this material: Duncan Bell, Eugenio Biagini,
David Boucher. Gary Browning, Steve Burwood. Alex Callinicoi. James Con­
nelly. Maria Dimova-Cookson. Tony Draper, Philip Ferreira. Paul Gilbert, Jack
Hayward, Tom Kane, Simon Lee. Philip MacEwen. Bill Mander. Matt Matra-
vers, Sue Mendus, Justin Morris, Philip Norton, Noël O’Sullivan, Stamatoula
Pariagakou, Alberto de Sanctis. Avital Simhony, William Sweet, Philippa Tyler,
Susan Uniacke. Andrew Vir.cent, David Weinstein, Ben Wempe, Richard
Whatmore and Richard Woodward (with apologies to anyone whose help I
have failed to mention). I ov;e a very great debt to Peter Nicholson. He has
read drafts of all of this material at one time or another, including providing
generous comments on the draft chapters on Caird and Bosanquet. Never­
theless, we disagree on key issues discussed here. Peter and I proofread the
whole manuscript. O f course. I alone am responsible for the use made of all
this assistance.
Professor Philip Norton, my Head of Department, released me from a
semester's teaching to complete this book as well as providing generous
funding tor research trips, conferences and other expenses, for w'hich I am
very grateful. I would also like to thank Philip de Bary who was the first Press
editor and Anthony Haynes and Sarah Douglas who have helped with the
latter stages of the publishing process.
1 am pleased to thank the Master and Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford for
permission to consult and quote from the papers of T. H. Green; to the
Department of Special Collections at the University of Glasgow for permission
to consult and quote from the papers of Edward Caird; and to the Department
of Special Collections, Robinson Library at the University of Newcastle for
permission to consult and quote from the papers of Bernard Bosanquet.
The Caird chapter in particular uses several texts that have just been pub­
lished in C. Tyler, ed.. Unpublished Manuscripts in British Idealism: Political Phil­
osophy, Theology and Social ThoughI, 2 vols (Bristol: Thoemmes Continuum,
2005). I am grateful to the .Arts and Humanities Research Board for funding
my work on that critical edition through their Resource Enhancement Scheme.