Bøger i EDINBURGH STUDIES IN COMPARATI serien

Examines the meaning of five theopolitical figures - scripture, prophecy, oath, charisma and hospitality - in contemporary philosophica-lpolitical discourse This book explores the extent to which theological discourse has been, and continues to be, relevant in shaping the meanings, symbols and realities of certain instituted political practices. This relevance has historically manifested itself in the hybridisation of theological and political concepts, images, gestures and rituals. Combining theological and political concepts, Herrero shows that some divine traces could be embedded in institutionalised political practices. She argues that these theopolitical figures - scripture, prophecy, oath, charisma and hospitality - should be read negatively as other names of God, in the sense of a negative theology, in the post-secular world. By analysing the symbolic meaning of these figures, Theopolitical Figures sheds new light on crucial questions for contemporary societies, such as the unconditional character of justice, unfeasibility of historical expectation, stability of the word, idea of power as a gift, and openness to otherness as an ethica-lpolitical imperative. Montserrat Herrero is Professor of Political Philosophy and Researcher in the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra, Spain.

Examines how the foundational liberal theories of Montesquieu, Hume, Smith and Ferguson responded to the moral and civic challenges of early capitalism This book explores a perennial problem in political theory: how to balance commercial considerations with the public good. It investigates this dilemma through the lenses of Enlightenment thinkers whose liberal theories responded to the hazards of commercial innovation during capitalism's nascent stages. Vassiliou argues that Montesquieu, David Hume, Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson represent a moderate perspective on foundational liberal thought, which emphasises the critical importance of honour. Throughout the book he compares how their liberal theories uniquely channel human beings' desire for honour to nourish a sense of interpersonal magnanimity within an inward-looking, liberal commercial world. In an age of polarised extremes, we have witnessed restive democracies flirting with populist, illiberal responses for managing the hazards of capitalist innovation. 'Moderate Liberalism and the Scottish Enlightenment' argues that Montesquieu and his Scottish counterparts' foundational liberal theories offer us more viable, middle-ground prescriptions that are necessarily sensitive to the emotional constitution of a liberal society. Constantine Vassiliou is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston, USA.