Eric Voegelin: an inquiry into the philosophy of order

Abstract

In this paper an attempt is made to clarify some of the concepts used by Eric Voegelin in his analyses of the modern disorder of Western political forms, and hit attempt to re‐capture the classical insights for use in creating a political philosophy that will have relevance for modern times. The three main concepts are: (1) existence in tension, (2) representation, and (3) gnosticism. In addition, an attempt is made to delimit the parameters of his philosophical inquiry into the symbols and experiences of order, and to show how these have coalesced into the traditional form of Western political order, and how thp knowledge of the origins of Western form can be used to find an answer to Marxism and modern “scientism”.