Synopses & Reviews
In this concluding volume in the trilogy that begins with On Power and moves to Sovereignty, Bertrand de Jouvenel proposes to remedy a serious deficiency in political science, namely, “the lack of agreement on first principles, or ‘elements.” The authors concern is with political processes as they actually exist, not as they are conjectured to be in hypothetical models. As an indication of the originality and imaginativeness that Jouvenel brings to his task, the sections explore “Politics as History,” “Setting: Ego in Otherdom,” “Action: Instigation and Response,” “Authority: ‘Potestas and ‘Potentia,” “Decisions,” and “Attitudes.” Jouvenel draws richly upon the “drama of politics” as it is portrayed in the works of Thucydides and Shakespeare.
Bertrand de Jouvenel (1903-1987) was a renowned observer of British and American institutions.
Daniel J. Mahoney is Associate Professor of Politics at Assumption College.
Synopsis
This is the concluding volume in Jouvenel's magnum opus, the trilogy that begins with On Power, moves to Sovereignty, and concludes with The Pure Theory of Politics. In this final volume, Bertrand de Jouvenel proposes to remedy a serious deficiency in political science: "the lack of agreement on first principles, or 'elements'." The author's concern is with political processes as they actually exist, not as they are conjectured to be in hypothetical models.
Synopsis
This is the final volume in Jouvenel's magnum opus, the trilogy that begins with On Power, moves to Sovereignty, and concludes with The Pure Theory of Politics. In this volume, Bertrand de Jouvenel proposes to remedy a serious deficiency in political science: "the lack of agreement on first principles, or 'elements.'" The author's concern is with political processes as they actually exist, not as they are conjectured to be in hypothetical models.
Table of Contents
Foreword to the Liberty Fund Edition ix Preface xv Part I Approach: Politics as History
1 Configuration and Dynamics 3
2 Wisdom and Activity: The Pseudo-Alcibiades 18
3 On the Nature of Political Science 37 Part II Setting: Ego in Otherdom
1 Of Man 57
2 Home 64
3 Otherdom 72 Part III Action: Instigation and Response
1 Instigation 91
2 Response 109 Part IV Authority: “Potestas” and “Potentia”
1 On Being Heard 129
2 The Law of Conservative Exclusion 143
3 Place and Face 155 Part v Decision
1 The People 171
2 The Committee, I (Judicial or Political?) 192
3 The Committee, II (Foresight, Values and Pressures) 206 Part VI Attitudes
1 Attention and Intention 219
2 The Team against the Committee 228
3 The Manners of Politics 242 Addendum: The Myth of the Solution 265 Conclusion 277 Index 279