However, Herder’s deep-seated of socio-political discontent and alienation did not lead him, as Liah Greenfeld further claims, to envision totalitarian society” that left no room “a for individual freedom and gathered within its iron embrace” as the answer to the ills “all plaguing modern life. On the contrary, Herder was a committed egalitarian, democrat, and republican who abhorred political coercion, entrenched patterns of inequality, and any form of social organization that failed make use of man’s divine and noble gifts” for conscious “to striving and self-improvement. Above all, he was a of the people’ motivated by what ‘man Sheldon Wolin suggests is the fundamental quality common to all great (or political “epic”) theorists: concern for the world and care for the Philosophy, Herder insisted, must res publicae. be for the of the people;” it must function as a tool in the continual process of “benefit comprehensive shaping and harmonious development of the intellect, character, and spirit of the people. Echoing Rousseau, Herder argued that the spread of the Enlightenment—of reason” and in fact, been for the people.” ability”—had, “philosophical “philosophical “harmful It had destroyed ancient virtues, diminished the power of local ties, alienated men from one another, weakened the sentiments upon which morality depends, and diminished the people’s attachment to existence. age,” Herder laments, used to etch the name aqua fortis “Our “has on its forehead, and this seems to be having its effect deep inside the skull.” The ‘Philosophy!’ problem was not simply that the Enlightenment vision was distorted but also that it had begun to infect and distort every facet of existence, creating a world of alienation, superficiality, and decay: The cold, sensationlessly thinking science of the soul has perpetrated its deception as far as into life and action… Thus arose a hypocritical figment of the imagination which the metaphysician calls the soul, clothes in the gloomy rays of abstractions, but which only appears in the presence of his magical lamp… representing to us a vaporous
However, Herder’s deep-seated of socio-political discontent and alienation did not lead him, as Liah Greenfeld further claims, to envision “a totalitarian society” that left no room for individual freedom and gathered “all within its iron embrace” as the answer to the ills plaguing modern life. On the contrary, Herder was a committed egalitarian, democrat, and republican who abhorred political coercion, entrenched patterns of inequality, and any form of social organization that failed “to make use of man’s divine and noble gifts” for conscious striving and self-improvement. Above all, he was a ‘man of the people’ motivated by what Sheldon Wolin suggests is the fundamental quality common to all great (or “epic”) political theorists: concern for the world and care for the res publicae. Philosophy, Herder insisted, must be for the “benefit of the people;” it must function as a tool in the continual process of comprehensive shaping and harmonious development of the intellect, character, and spirit of the people. Echoing Rousseau, Herder argued that the spread of the Enlightenment—of “philosophical reason” and “philosophical ability”—had, in fact, been “harmful for the people.” It had destroyed ancient virtues, diminished the power of local ties, alienated men from one another, weakened the sentiments upon which morality depends, and diminished the people’s attachment to existence. “Our age,” Herder laments, “has used aqua fortis to etch the name ‘Philosophy!’ on its forehead, and this seems to be having its effect deep inside the skull.” The problem was not simply that the Enlightenment vision was distorted but also that it had begun to infect and distort every facet of existence, creating a world of alienation, superficiality, and decay: The cold, sensationlessly thinking science of the soul has perpetrated its deception as far as into life and action… Thus arose a hypocritical figment of the imagination which the metaphysician calls the soul, clothes in the gloomy rays of abstractions, but which only appears in the presence of his magical lamp… representing to us a vaporous
Culver_Herders_Romantic_Vision_WPSA2013.docx