BERNARD BOSANQUET: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT (PHILOSOPHY, WELFARE, POOR LAWS, GREAT BRITAIN).
Item
-
Title
-
BERNARD BOSANQUET: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT (PHILOSOPHY, WELFARE, POOR LAWS, GREAT BRITAIN).
-
Identifier
-
AAI8614684
-
identifier
-
8614684
-
Creator
-
JACOBS, ELLEN.
-
Date
-
1986
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
History, European
-
Abstract
-
Bernard Bosanquet (1848-1923), has been described as "the central figure in British philosophy for a whole generation." His book, The Philosophical Theory of the State, has been treated in textbooks of political thought as the classic English expression of the Hegelian metaphysic of the state.;But Bosanquet's theory of the state was more than a restatement of Hegelian metaphysics. He gave to the state a particular moral significance as the matrix of individual personality and community. He offered not only a theory of the state, but a theory of citizenship, individuality and community, in a period when political democracy and social welfare were vigorously debated.;The association of Bosanquet with an authoritarian theory of the state conceals a paradox which is all the more striking when his life and work is viewed in its historical context. Among contemporaries he was known for his defense of individual effort and enterprise and for his opposition to most proposals for state welfare. He was a leader in the Charity Organisation Society, the London Ethical Society, and the university extension movement. His individualistic social philosophy was evident in his defense of the policy proposals of the 1909 Majority Report of the Royal Commission of the Poor Laws.;This study aims at resolving the apparent paradox between Bosanquet's reputation as the author of an authoritarian theory of the state and his individualistic social philosophy. It examines the nature and development of his social and political thought particularly as it relates to his experience as a social reformer.;The analysis of Bosanquet's experience as a philosopher of applied social thought offers insight into the ideological foundations of late-nineteenth and twentieth century discussions of the aims and limits of social policy. It also provides an opportunity to reconsider the contribution of philosophical idealism to the language of political discourse in the period from 1880 to 1918.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
-
Program
-
History
