I feel it my duty to pass on some choice tidbits from a scintillating book of interviews with Pierre Manent (conducted by Benedicte Deloreme-Montini) just published in French under the title: Le Regard Politique ( Flammarion). Here is the first (in provisional translation), from pages 203-204:
“You know the argument: membership in a plurality of communities is not a problem because there is no need to choose among them: on the contrary, to a multiplicity of belongings is enriching – is it not enriching to be at once and equally Breton, French, European and a citizen of the world? I find this presentation seductive but misleading. All these memberships in fact aspire towards and are absorbed in our membership in humanity. But humanity is not a political body since it is incapable of self-government. Certain circumstances, notably American protection and power, have relaxed ad almost suspended the pressure of political necessity in Europe; and, since they are on vacation, Europeans believe that they are forever free from work. Let them enjoy it, because it won’t last… Europe as a whole can consider itself to be humanity’s pacified avant-garde because the United States still takes care of European defense. The European religion of humanity is thus based, finally, on American power…
… “At some point external pressures – economic, political, military, and those related to migrations – from countries or areas that not only do not share our religion of humanity but that even despise it (do you believe that the Chinese or the Muslims see themselves as citizens of the world?), these pressures will perhaps bring about reactions of survival, something like: “we do not after all want to die.” And so, I say only that, in these conditions, a third possibility might emerge, in which the old nations and the old religion will appear as a priceless resource – if only because we have no other. How could they be given new life? I do not know, but necessity, as Machiavelli taught us, is a great teacher.”
(Future tidbits: Manent on Aron, Strauss, Straussians, the essence of the West, and more.)
October 30th, 2010 | 9:01 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by annie kara, Miram Show. Miram Show said: Manent: Seeing Things Politically – European Vacation: … notably American protection and power, have relaxed ad … http://bit.ly/czubLS [...]
October 31st, 2010 | 1:35 am
Necessity indeed. But in terms of most international relations political science there seems to be an inexorable tendency towards that which is beyond necessity. So Manent will be like Aron in that the latter showed the “opium of intellectualism” and the former will footnote the latter in a rearguard maneuver to forestall the emergence of something like the universal and homogeneous state.
That said, I’m glad that Manent is writing. He offers the best of what is political in terms of reasonable and historical and traditional political entities. Insofar as as one follows Aristotle regarding what is politics–and this has very little to do with Arendt’s notion of “republicanism” in On Revolution–Manent is the best writer to be taken seriously.
October 31st, 2010 | 1:17 pm
This is a book of incredible richness which aims to do full justice to the three great “poles” of human existence (as Manent calls them): politics, religion, and philosophy. It eloquently defends and articulates a political perspective but it is by no means narrowly “political” in focus. It was published at the same time what is perhaps Manent’s magnum opus, LES METAMORPHOSES DE LA CITE: ESSAI SUR LA DYNAMIQUE DE L’OCCIDENT, a 420 page exploration of the western political dynamic from the Greek city to the modern “religion of humanity” (which aims to affirm the universal independent of all humanizing “mediations”). I would suggest that Manent’s critique of the “religion of humanity” is more than a political critique–it is also a philosophical and theological critique that draws on the best classical and Christian wisdom. In my view, the centerpieces of the book are the remarkable treatments of Cicero and Augustine, respectively (Manent devotes no less than 120 pages to a richly suggestive reading of Augustine’s CITY OF GOD).In any case, there are passages of great penetration in LE REGARD POLITIQUE that I look forward to Ralph sharing with you.–DM
October 31st, 2010 | 1:40 pm
Le Regard Politique ( Flammarion) is very much an interesting book. I hope you and your son do a translation for ISI… but Manent’s Les Metamorphoses de la Cite is a much more important book, one the English language audience ought to be exposed to. Dr. Hancock thanks for this tidbit….
October 31st, 2010 | 3:27 pm
I would echos Dan’s comments above…. even if I have some serious issues with Manent’s concept of political forms–Metamorphoses de la Cite is very much a book that addresses how the concept of the political metamorphises in the West… via. Rome. On the important of Rome Manent share much with Rémi Brague who in his book Europe, la voie romaine (translated–Eccentric Culture: A Theory of Western Civilization).
I really hope that Metamorphoses de la Cite is translated quicker than Cours familier de philosophie politique was.
November 10th, 2010 | 11:26 pm
Here’s Brague’s review of Les Metamorphoses de la Cite, without, as far as I can tell, any substantial criticism:
http://mobile.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2010/10/14/les-metamorphoses-de-la-cite-essai-sur-la-dynamique-de-l-occident-de-pierre-manent_1425938_3260.html
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact