Quietism

Martin Wight on War: Towards a Better Understanding of the Enigma

by Lucas Freire

First draft only. ISA 53rd Annual Convention. San Diego: 1-4 April, 2012.

Martin Wight’s contribution to British IR is well-known. His radical defence of Christian pacifism is often contrasted... more Martin Wight’s contribution to British IR is well-known. His radical defence of Christian pacifism is often contrasted with his acute sense of ‘tragedy’ in the analysis of power politics. Such tension has been characterised as an ‘enigma’. Some have claimed that Wight changed his mind over time, labelling his position as ultimately ‘realist’ in the classical sense. However, this notion must be challenged in light of his own negative opinion on realism read against the religious and intellectual background of his work. In this paper it is argued that there is a considerable degree of continuity in Wight’s reflections on realism and war since the early pacifist phase. For this reason, judgement on whether or not Wight has abandoned pacifism later in his career should at least be suspended. However, a closer look at his statements which at first sight seem to support realism and to eschew pacifism actually opens up space for the opposing view that he remained sympathetic to pacifism and critical of realism even in the later years. In any case, it must be granted that his approach to activism considerably changed over time and that the whole issue was subsequently treated as a private matter.

Pragmatism, Quasi-realism and the Global Challenge

by David Macarthur

Putnam, Pragmatism and the Fate of Metaphysics

by David Macarthur

“A Good Degree of Resignation”: “Natural Inclination,” “the World,” and Spirituality in John Woolman's Ethics

by Jon R. Kershner

Quaker tailor and abolitionist John Woolman (1720-1772) lived during the era of Quaker history scholars call ‘the... more Quaker tailor and abolitionist John Woolman (1720-1772) lived during the era of Quaker history scholars call ‘the Quietist Period’ (late-Seventeenth to mid-Nineteenth Centuries). Broadly put, Quietism emphasized personal transformation through an 'annihilation of self' and a disavowal of the 'natural' and worldly, instead individuals aspired to the supernatural. Scholars argue that quietist Quakers, concerned over external pressures and suffering from an uncertain theology of sanctification, focused their energy inwardly on the preservation of the purity of the Quaker remnant as a critique of societal worldliness. However, in attempting to understand the theological dimensions of Quakers in the 18th Century, I argue, scholars have over-generalized the individuality in which John Woolman applied spirituality and theological ethics to the pressing issues that confronted his Society, and society at large.
In my paper I explore the foundations of Woolman’s spirituality, which I argue are grounded in an ethical mysticism that contained integrated inward and outward dimensions. Woolman, I contend, expressed the Pauline dualisms of inward/outward and natural/spiritual not as a retreat from the world but as a remaking of it. I argue Woolman shared many correlations with the broad category of Quietism, but in taking a microhistorical approach Woolman the individual reveals the unique application of an ambiguous and discontinuous relationship to ‘nature,’ ‘the world’ and society within the scope of human activity and ethical activism. This paper analyzes Woolman's relationship to the world around him through an examination of his Journal, anti-slavery essays, and essays critiquing the trans-Atlantic marketplace.

Anton Reiser und die "Michelein"

by Lucinda Martin

Review in The Eighteenth-Century Current Bibliography, 2002.

Review of Christof Wingertszahn: “Anton Reiser und die ‘Michelein.’” Review of Christof Wingertszahn: “Anton Reiser und die ‘Michelein.’”

Die Gesellschaft der Kindheit Jesu-Genossen auf Schloß Hayn

by Lucinda Martin

In The Eighteenth-Century Current Bibliography, 2002.

Review of the book with the same name by Michael Knieriem and Johannes Burkardt. Review of the book with the same name by Michael Knieriem and Johannes Burkardt.