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This book investigates the writings of German intellectual historian and philosopher Hans Blumenberg. While Blumenberg was not an explicitly political thinker and remains relatively under-explored in Anglophone academia, this project demonstrates that his work makes a valuable contribution to political science. The author considers the intellectual contributions Blumenberg makes to a variety of themes focusing primarily on myth. Rather than seeing myths in a pejorative sense, as primitive modes of thought that have been overcome, Blumenberg reveals that myths are crucial to dealing with the existential anxieties we face. When we trace his thought as it developed throughout his life, we find a rich source of philosophical insights that could enhance our understandings of politics today.
List of contents
1. Chapter One: Introduction.- 2. Chapter Two: Blumenberg: His Background and Influences.- 3. Chapter Three: Anxiety and the Absolutism of Reality.- 4. Chapter Four: Debates on Myth.- 5. Chapter Five: Blumenberg, Myth and Contemporary Politics.- 6. Chapter Six: Conclusion
About the author
Xander Kirke is Jean Monnet Centre Associate at Newcastle University, UK.
Summary
This book investigates the writings of German intellectual historian and philosopher Hans Blumenberg. While Blumenberg was not an explicitly political thinker and remains relatively under-explored in Anglophone academia, this project demonstrates that his work makes a valuable contribution to political science. The author considers the intellectual contributions Blumenberg makes to a variety of themes focusing primarily on myth. Rather than seeing myths in a pejorative sense, as primitive modes of thought that have been overcome, Blumenberg reveals that myths are crucial to dealing with the existential anxieties we face. When we trace his thought as it developed throughout his life, we find a rich source of philosophical insights that could enhance our understandings of politics today.
