Philosophy Across the Lines: Or Why I Love Arthur Melzer's Book and Remain a Progressive

Abstract

Arthur Melzer's outstanding book decisively proves the historical prevalence of esoteric writing and persuasively identifies four main types. It also provides reasons why the worldviews that long made esotericism seem necessary should not be dismissed, reasons that should give pause to proponents of progressive reform agendas. There still remain, however, good reasons to think that such agendas can and should be prudently pursued.

Keywords:

• esotericism
• progressivism
• conflictualism
• myths
• peoplehood

Notes

¹Rogers M. Smith, “Should We Make Political Science More of a Science or More about Politics?” PS: Political Science and Politics 35 (2002): 200–01.

²Rogers M. Smith, Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of Political Membership. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

³Rogers M. Smith, Political Peoplehood: The Roles of Values, Interests, and Identities. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2015.

⁴Rogers M. Smith, Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997.

⁵Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2011.

⁶T. Harry Williams, ed., A. Lincoln: Selected Speeches, Messages, and Letters. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1957.

⁷Arthur M. Melzer, Philosophy Between the Lines: The Lost History of Esoteric Writing. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2014.