Chapter 6 Myth, Philosophy, and Consciousness: 1966
Ellis Sandoz, Michael Henry
September 8, 2017 DOI: 10.4324/9781351301763-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Voegelin's political philosophy centers on the claim that problems of human order in society and history arise from the order of consciousness, and that a philosophy of consciousness is therefore the centerpiece of a philosophy of politics. The 1966 formulation adds the experiences and symbols through which consciousness articulates itself in time, a position the text links to Plato's symbolism of Recollection. |
Abstract
The theory of politics that had been expanded into the theory of history in 1952 was metamorphosed into the philosophy of order to be attained through recollection and analysis of the trail of experiences and their symbols manifested in the field of history. The first sentence of Anamnesis (1966) stated the central thesis of Voegelin’s political philosophy thus: “The problems of human order in society and history arise from the order of the consciousness. The philosophy of consciousness is for that reason the centerpiece of a philosophy of politics”. With this 1966 formulation, the philosophy of politics was further augmented by the experiences and symbols through which the process of consciousness articulates itself in time. Plato expressed his own philosophy of consciousness in terms of the symbolism of Recollection.