Classical "Poetry of Legislation": Research on Political Philosophy Themes -- Hai Guo Tu Zhi Series

Author: Lin Guohua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Is the philosophical enterprise truly a freedom of thought that could endanger the authority of state law, or a moral obligation directed by the authority of state law? This is the question that the author is prompted to when comparing the two great works, Averroes' The Decisive Treatise and Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. It largely guides the author's research and leads the author to see a profound distinction between "legislative poetry" and "lyric poetry" in the tradition of Western political philosophy. The former burdens the philosophical enterprise with political and moral responsibilities, while the latter aims to preserve the natural right to intellectual freedom.
This book explores, through textual interpretation, the authentic legal-political spirit that lies subtly in the tradition of Western culture, where poetry, philosophy, and history converge. By analyzing five classic works in Western culture—Labor and Leisure, The Laws, Macbeth, Robinson Crusoe, and On the Origin of Inequality and the Basis of Its Foundation—the book delves into how Western thinkers, guided by this legislative spirit, succeeded or failed in establishing good and virtuous states amidst divine concerns and retreat.