The Review of Politics
- The Review of Politics / Volume 57 / Issue 04 / September 1995, pp 581-606
- Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1995
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500018647 (About DOI), Published online: 05 August 2009
Research Article
Eric Voegelin's Interpretation(s) of Modernity: A Reconsideration of the Spiritual and Political Implications of Voegelin's Therapeutic Analysis
Murray Jardine
Eric Voegelin's political theory, which is often understood as “conservative,” actually contains very radical elements. An examination of Voegelin's understanding of the genesis of modernity in more detail than hitherto has been attempted shows that four apparently different accounts of modernity's origins can be isolated in Voegelin's writings. An attempt to synthesize these accounts indicates potentially radical implications for both Christian theology and Western political institutions. Such a synthesis shows that the sources of modern consciousness are inherent in orthodox Christianity, which in turn implies a fundamental reconsideration of Christian revelation and its political impact.
