The Children of Light and the Children of Darkne - A Vindication of Democracy and a Critique of Its Traditional Defense

基本信息

Format:Paperback / softback 224 pages

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Imprint:University of Chicago Press

ISBN:9780226584003

Published: 23 Aug 2011

Classifications:Political science & theory, Political structures: democracy

Readership:General (US: Trade)

Weight:284g

Dimensions:136 x 204 x 18 (mm)

Pub. Country:United States

頁面參數僅供參考，具體以實物為準

書籍簡介

《光明之子與黑暗之子》首次出版於1944年，被認為是極具影響力的神學家Reinhold Niebuhr最深刻和最相關的作品之一，當然也是他政治哲學的最完整的陳述。這本書是在漫長的世界大戰期間寫成的，當時正處於極權主義和民主力量之間。尼布爾的書探討了一個仍然很及時的問題，即民主作為一種政治制度，如何才能最好地得到捍衞。尼布爾聲稱，大多數民主的支持者都是“光明之子”，他們對社會如何擺脱邪惡、如何用開明的理性來治理有着樂觀但天真的想法。

他認為，他們需要吸收“黑暗之子”的一些智慧和力量，否則，他們無情的犬儒主義和腐敗、反民主的政治應該被否定。他主張對人類社會有審慎、自由的理解，衡量每個羣體的自身利益，並通過對權力侷限性的現實理解而得到懲戒。在這本書的前言中，他寫道:“人的正義能力使民主成為可能;但是人類不公正的傾向使得民主成為必要。這一版本包括一個新的介紹，由神學家和尼布爾學者加里多林，他闡明瞭工作的重要性，並把它堅定地納入了尼布爾的事業。

"The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness", first published in 1944, is considered one of the most profound and relevant works by the influential theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and certainly the fullest statement of his political philosophy. Written during the prolonged world war between totalitarian and democratic forces, Niebuhr's book takes up the still timely question of how democracy as a political system can best be defended. Most proponents of democracy, Niebuhr claimed, were "children of light," who had optimistic but naive ideas about how society could be rid of evil and governed by enlightened reason.

They needed, he believed, to absorb some of the wisdom and strength of the "children of darkness," whose ruthless cynicism and corrupt, anti-democratic politics should otherwise be repudiated. He argued for a prudent, liberal understanding of human society that took the measure of every group's self-interest and was chastened by a realistic understanding of the limits of power. It is in the foreword to this book that he wrote, "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary."This edition includes a new introduction by the theologian and Niebuhr scholar Gary Dorrien in which he elucidates the work's significance and places it firmly into the arc of Niebuhr's career.

媒體推薦

”尼布爾博士是我們這個時代神學家中極有能力的發言人之一。他為自己選擇的任務帶來了罕見的天賦和廣泛的興趣。”—— New Republic

“尼布爾在基本政治和社會問題上的觀點清晰而令人印象深刻的陳述。”——Spectator

“他給我們這一代人投下了智慧的魔咒. . . .尼布爾使我們重新思考人類的本性和命運。“”——小阿瑟·施萊辛格，《紐約時報》

“Dr. Niebuhr is in our time one of the ablest spokesmen among theologians. And he brings to his chosen task rare gifts and wide-ranging interests.”― New Republic

“[A] clear and impressive statement of [Niebuhr’s] views on fundamental political and social problems.”—Spectator― Spectator

“He cast an intellectual spell on my generation. . . . Niebuhr made us think anew about the nature and destiny of man.”—Arthur Schlesinger Jr., New York Times― New York Times

作者簡介

萊茵霍爾德·尼布爾(1892-1971)1928年至1962年在紐約聯合神學院任教。1964年總統自由勛章獲得者，他寫了許多書，包括《道德的人與不道德的社會》、《基督教倫理的解釋》、《人的本性與命運》和《美國曆史的諷刺》(後者最近也由芝加哥大學出版社再版)。

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971)taught from 1928 until 1962 at Union Theological Seminary, in New York City. The recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, he wrote many books, including Moral Man and Immoral Society, The Interpretation of Christian Ethics, The Nature and Destiny of Man, and The Irony of American History (the latter also recently republished by the University of Chicago Press).