Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

  • Lyt og læs så meget du har lyst til
  • Opdag et kæmpe bibliotek fyldt med fortællinger
  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals
  • Opsig når som helst
Start tilbuddet
DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on Morals and Happiness

Varighed
27T 49M
Sprog
Engelsk
Format
Kategori

Fakta

Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness by William Godwin (1756-1836) was first published in February 1793, the month following the execution of Louis XVI of France.

It proved to be immediately popular and influential. Godwin, the son of a Calvinist preacher, was educated at Hoxton Academy, after which, he became a minister to a dissenter congregation in Ware. However, partially as a result of reading Rousseau, Helvetius and d’ Holbach, his thinking changed and he left the ministry in 1783, the year the American war of Independence ended, by which point he had become a complete sceptic in matters of religion and turned to philosophy and ultimately to anarchism for the truth.

This was to be a period of huge political turmoil and continuing uncertainty, which had seen revolution in America and France, as well as the madness of King George III and the Regency crisis. It was a time of Whigs and Tories, of frenzied political argument and a flood of political pamphlet publishing.

The Enquiry came hot on the heels of Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) and Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man (1791-1792) in a time that witnessed severe government repression of civil liberties. In essence it is a wide- ranging disquisition on moral and political philosophy. Its central message or theme is that of the potential for human perfectibility through the pursuit of reason and truth.

At times it has a visionary quality, which perhaps explains why its publication was met with such delighted excitement and approval by the young Romantic poets, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley and others. It appeared in a moment of great optimism, when there was a sense that the revolution would lead to sweeping reforms and the abolition of ancient abuses of privilege and inequality and hopes that traditional antagonisms and hostilities between England and France would soon come to an end.

For a brief period Godwin was very much the toast of the town, but as the excesses of the Terror mounted in France and the heads rolled beneath the guillotine, thinking changed, attitudes hardened and the mood darkened. Godwin’s star fell as rapidly as it had risen. England and France would go to war and as quickly as Godwin had been taken up by the young radicals he was cast aside by them as they matured into conservatives, both socially and politically, rejecting many of the ideas that had seemed so appealing to their younger selves.

Godwin was seen as a figurehead for dangerous ideas and as being a representative of the somewhat wilder and more extreme ideas of the young Jacobins. Consequently, he became a scapegoat to be satirised and attacked. It is important to note, however, that although his book was published during revolutionary times Godwin, who was spoken of in social circles as ‘The Philosopher’, never advocated violent revolutionary change but indeed insisted that change had to come about gradually and peacefully. He argued that people had to be persuaded, not coerced and advocated systematic philosophical radicalism since history had demonstrated that those who overthrew tyrants with violence frequently became tyrants themselves. Godwin’s anarchist vision of society comprises three basic principles: ‘political simplicity’, ‘public inspection’ and ‘positive sincerity’. He declares in effect that there must be a complete restructuring of human society, prefiguring later thinkers such as Marx in maintaining that the masses had been misled on account of the ‘mysterious and complicated nature of the social system’.

Likewise, he explains most crime as resulting from economic inequality which would cease once there was a more egalitarian distribution of wealth. In general terms he argues for a combination of federalism and increased localism and envisages a system founded on sincerity, open and honest discourse and truth that would be answerable to the public through a process ‘of public inspection’ and censorship, driven by benevolence.

His wish was to usher in a new anarchist order which would see an end to imperialism, state terror and legalised murder. He stated: “Sound reasoning and truth, when adequately communicated, must always be victorious over error: Sound reasoning and truth are capable of being so communicated: Truth is omnipotent: The vices and moral weakness of man are not invincible: Man is perfectible, or in other words susceptible of perpetual improvement.”

His ideas are as relevant and as worthy of consideration in today’s troubled political climate as when they were written. Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness, Third Edition is read for Ukemi Audiobooks by Michael Lunts.

© 2020 Ukemi Audiobooks from W. F. Howes Ltd (Lydbog): 9781004134298

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 30. september 2020

Andre kan også lide...

  1. The Cost of Free Money: How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future Paola Subacchi
  2. A Burning House: Redeeming American Evangelicalism by Examining Its History, Mission, and Message Brandon Washington
  3. Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems Donald F. Kettl
  4. Good Times Go on Holiday in Oregon Tourist Town: Patchwork Nation PBS NewsHour
  5. The Metabolife Story: The Rise and Fall of an American Success Story Michael J. Ellis
  6. A Rare Recording of W. F. Hooley Reading Lincoln's Gettysburg Address William F. Hooley
  7. Cold War Face-off PBS NewsHour
  8. AI Dystopian Apocalypse: Navigating Joblessness and The End of Employment as We Know It Robert Enochs
  9. Philosophy: Wise Ideas from Eastern and Western Philosophers Philip Rivaldi
  10. The Pandemic Pivot: A Report from the Institute for Policy Studies, the Transnational Institute, and Focus on the Global South John Feffer
  11. Victories Never Last: Reading and Caregiving in a Time of Plague Robert Zaretsky
  12. Torah The Jewish Publication Society
  13. Regulating Wall Street: The Dodd-Frank Act and the New Architecture of Global Finance Viral V. Acharya
  14. Secrets To Thriving In Babylon Tim Paskert
  15. Possibility Unleashed: PATHBREAKING LESSONS FOR MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN IN YOUR ORGANIZATION AND BEYOND Marc Harrison
  16. THE POWER OF STOICISM: Harnessing Ancient Wisdom for a Resilient Life (2024 Guide for Beginners) MANDY COLON
  17. Philosophy: Stoic, Critical, and Intelligent Thinking Patterns throughout the Ages Samirah Eaton
  18. Adventures In The Vraj The Land Of Krsna: Inspirational Tales Of Devotional Yoga Sripad Jagannatha Das
  19. Imperialism William Jennings Bryan
  20. Modern Technology: Chemical, Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering (4 in 1) Phil Gilberts
  21. Job Shop Leaders: Small Wins From a Factory Life Torrence Smith
  22. Life During Jesus' Time: How Did the First Christians Live, Work, and Interact? Raymond F. Collins
  23. All You Need Is Myth: The Beatles and the Gods of Rock Steve Wagner
  24. Wealth Plan: How to invest in New Zealand property and retire on real estate Andrew Nicol
  25. Wisdom of the CEO Colin Price
  26. Romania Through the Ages: Exploring the Historical Context of Modern Romania History Retold
  27. Summary & Discussions of How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps by Ben Shapiro wizer
  28. An Introduction to Christian Philosophical Theology: Faith Seeking Understanding Stephen T. Davis
  29. Dwight D. Eisenhower speeches Dwight D. Eisenhower
  30. Philosophy: Stoicism, Critical Thinking, and Skepticism Clarified Samirah Eaton
  31. Be Your Own Boss: How To Prosper In the Coming Entrepreneurial Decade Harry S. Dent
  32. Guide to Niall Kishtainy's A Little History of Economics by Instaread Instaread
  33. THE OTHER 364 DAYS: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - The Glass Half Full Christiane Bisanzio
  34. All in Whole Consciousness Barbara Seguin Du Haime
  35. From Pandemic to Renewal: Practices for a World Shaken by Crisis Chris Rice
  36. All That's Wrong with the Bible: Contradictions, Absurdities, and More Jonah David Conner
  37. Weaponized by Heaven: Discovering our Holy Spirit Empowerment Dr. Ron Allen
  38. Unfractured: A Christ-Centered Action Plan for Cultural Change Skot Welch
  39. Where the Money Is: How to Spot Key Trends to Make Investment Profits Dr. Bob Froehlich
  40. Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture Daniel B. Wallace
  41. Estate & Trust Administration For Dummies Margaret A. Munro
  42. The Masters of Enterprise H.W. Brands
  43. An Introduction to Mathematical Analysis for Economic Theory and Econometrics Juraj Zeman

Vælg dit abonnement

  • Over 600.000 titler

  • Download og nyd titler offline

  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals

  • Børnevenligt miljø (Kids Mode)

  • Det er nemt at opsige når som helst

Flex

For dig som vil prøve Mofibo.

89 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 20 timer/måned

  • Gem op til 100 ubrugte timer

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Prøv gratis
Den mest populære

Premium

For dig som lytter og læser ofte.

129 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 100 timer/måned

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Unlimited

For dig som lytter og læser ubegrænset.

149 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • Ubegrænset adgang

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Family

For dig som ønsker at dele historier med familien.

Fra 179 kr. /måned
  • 2-6 konti

  • 100 timer/måned pr. konto

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Kun 39 kr. pr. ekstra konto

  • Ingen binding

2 konti

179 kr. /måned
Start tilbuddet