Meaning and understanding in the history of ideas

Abstract

ed from it and more communicated. To write textbook in history of ideas, of course, is simply fall prey systematically this temptation which, incidentally, is why textbooks in subject are not merely poor things, but are actively misleading, and why this difficulty is not be circumvented even by providing textbooks in which message is given in author's own words. inevitable result which can be illustrated from far more respectable sources than synoptic and pedagogic histories will still be form of writing which might be labelled mythology of coherence. writing of history of ethical and political is pervaded by this mythology.69 Thus if current scholarly opinion can see no in Hooker's Laws, moral is look harder, for coherence is surely present.70 If there is doubt about central themes of Hobbes's political philosophy, it becomes duty of 'the exegete discover inner of his doctrine by reading Leviathan number of times, until in perhaps excessively revealing phrase he finds that its argument has some coherence.'7' If there is no system readily accessible student of Hume's political works, exegete's duty is to rummage through one work after another until high degree 69. A similar point about problem of accommodating different levels of abstraction has been made by J. G. A. Pocock, The History of Thought: A Methodological Enquiry, in Philosophy, Politics and Society, Second Series, ed. Peter Laslett and W. G. Runciman (Oxford, 1962), 183-202. This scripturalist tendency is also mentioned by Peter Laslett sub Political Philosophy, History of, in Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Paul Edwards et al., 8 vols. (New York, 1967), VI, 371. 70. Arthur S. McGrade, The Coherence of Hooker's Polity: Books on Power, Journal of History of Ideas 24 (1963), 163. 71. Howard Warrender, Philosophy of Hobbes (Oxford, 1957), vii. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.210 on Sat, 30 Jul 2016 06:00:09 UTC All use subject http://about.jstor.org/terms THE HISTORY OF IDEAS 17 of consistency in whole is duly displayed (again in rather revealing phrase) all costs.72 If Herder's political ideas are rarely worked out systematically, and are be found scattered throughout his writings, sometimes within most unexpected contexts, duty of exegete again becomes that of trying to present these ideas in some form.73 most revealing fact about such reiterations of scholar's task is that metaphors habitually used are those of effort and quest; ambition is always arrive at a unified interpretation, gain coherent view of an author's system.74 This procedure gives thoughts of various classic writers coherence, and an air generally of closed system, which they may never have attained or even been meant attain. If it is first assumed, for example, that business of interpreting Rousseau's thought must center on discovery of his most fundamental thought, it will cease seem matter of importance that he contributed over several decades several quite different fields of enquiry.75 Again, if it is first assumed that every aspect of Hobbes's thought was designed as contribution whole of his Christian system, it will cease seem at all peculiar suggest that we may turn his autobiography elucidate so crucial point as relations between ethics and political life.76 Again, if it is first assumed that even Burke never essentially contradicted himself or changed his mind, but that coherent moral philosophy underlies everything he wrote, then it will cease seem at all unrealistic treat the corpus of his published writings as a single body of thought.77 Some measure of lengths which such procedures of abstracting variety of man's thoughts level at which they can be said (all passion spent) attain some is provided by recent study of Marx's social and political thought. Here it has seemed necessary, justify exclusion of Engels's thoughts, point out that Marx and Engels were after all two distinct human beings.78 It does sometimes happen, of course, that aims and successes of given writer may remain so 72. John B. Stewart, Moral and Philosophy of David Hume (New York, 1963), v-vi. 73. F. M. Barnard, Herder's Social and Thought (Oxford, 1965), xix. Cf. also 139. 74. E.g., J. W. N. Watkins, Hobbes's System of Ideas (London, 1965), 10. 75. Ernst Cassirer, Question of Jean Jacques Rousseau, tr. and ed. Peter Gay (Bloomington, Indiana, 1954), 46, 62. As Gay indicates in his Introduction, it may well have been salutary at time when Cassirer was writing have insisted on such an emphasis, but it remains questionable whether somewhat priori assumptions of study are not misconceived. 76. F. C. Hood, Divine Politics of Thomas Hobbes (Oxford, 1964), 28. 77. Charles Parkin, Moral Basis of Burke's Thought (Cambridge, 1956), 2, 4. 78. Shlomo Avineri, Social and Thought of Karl Marx (Cambridge, 1968), 3. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.210 on Sat, 30 Jul 2016 06:00:09 UTC All use subject http://about.jstor.org/terms