Political Philosophy of Fénelon

About this book

"Fe nelon is arguably the most neglected of all the major philosophers of early modernity. His political masterwork was the most-read book in eighteenth-century France after the Bible, yet to now we have lacked a single interpretive monograph in English devoted specifically to his thought. This monograph aims to correct this by providing the first such book-length study. In focusing specifically on Fe nelon's political thought, it has three primary aims. The first is to provide a reconstruction of Fe nelon's political ideas accessible to those who might be encountering Fe nelon directly or at length for the first time. The second is to demonstrate the connections between Fe nelon's political thought and several other fields to which he made significant and long-recognized contributions, including not only philosophy and political science but also economics, education, literature, theology, and spirituality. Third, the book aims to cut several new edges in our extant understanding and appreciation of Fe nelon's political thought and its significance. On this front, it specifically argues that Fe nelon is better understood as a moderate and modern thinker rather than as a radical or reactionary, and that Fe nelon deserves to be seen not merely as a political thinker but as a political philosopher. Finally, The Political Philosophy of Fe nelon argues for Fe nelon's relevance to our political world today. Fe nelon was a nuanced and insightful diagnostician of ills from egocentrism and social atomism to authoritarianism and imperialism, and our understanding of these phenomena so familiar to us today can benefit from attending to his insights"--