The catechism of the citizen: politics, law and religion in, after, with and against Rousseau

As a way of thinking through the bleakness of the political present through which we are all too precipitously moving, this essay attempts to demonstrate the interconnections between three concepts: politics, law and religion. By way of a detailed reading of Rousseau, I try to show how any conceptio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Continental philosophy review 2009-02, Vol.42 (1), p.5-34
Main Author: Critchley, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizenship
Education
Law
Phenomenology
Philosophy
Philosophy of Man
Political Philosophy
Political theory
Religion & politics
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (1712-1778)
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As a way of thinking through the bleakness of the political present through which we are all too precipitously moving, this essay attempts to demonstrate the interconnections between three concepts: politics, law and religion. By way of a detailed reading of Rousseau, I try to show how any conception of legitimate politics and law requires a conception of religion at its base and as its basis. In my view, this is highly problematic and in the conclusion an argument is presented for a politics of the supreme fiction, which attempts to show how poetry might take the place of religion.
ISSN:1387-2842
1573-1103
DOI:10.1007/s11007-009-9100-6