Politics, Law, Society, History and Religion In the 'Politica' (1590s - 1650s)

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Subject. Edited by Robert von Friedeburg. With contributions by Robert von Friedeburg, Jan Waszink, Wolfgang E. J. Weber, Luise Schorn-Schütte and Jaap Nieuwstraten.

The 'Politica' as a specific genre of academic reflection on civil life developed from the later sixteenth century and flourished until at least the mid-seventeenth century, especially at universities in the Holy Roman Empire and where their influence was felt, as in the Dutch Republic. Theologians, Philosophers, Jurists and Medical Doctors contributed books. Aside from few and only with difficulty accessible surveys and a few individual well researched authors, research into this genre remains a task for the future. This survey collects contributions from a number of senior and younger researchers and their various approaches and arguments. In particular by providing examples of the heterogeneity of current research, it serves as an introduction to the genre and to a more complete assessment of the development of Early Modern political thought. The volume also stresses the importance of this genre for several transformations of political thought in the Early Modern Age. Contents: Jan Waszink: Controversies on Reason of State. Lipsius on Scripture and Politics. - Wolfgang E. J. Weber: Securing Power. - Luise Schorn-Schütte: Politica Christiana in the 16th and 17th Centuries. - Jaap Nieuwstraten: History and Politics in the Dutch Republic in the First Half of the 17th Century. - Robert von Friedeburg: The Discussion of Social and Political Conflict in the 'Politica'. 138 Seiten, broschiert (Studien und Materialien zur Geschichte der Philosophie; Vol. 88/Olms Verlag 2013)