Modern Age - Fall 2014 - 92

MODERN AGE

free thinking, questioning, or even having
a particular sexual orientation or handicap
increasingly dangerous and life threatening
(1). Victims of Nazi ideology and racial poli-
tics, irrespective of their political beliefs, were
arrested and then deported to be murdered.
Voegelin, who escaped to the United States
following the Anschluss in 1938, struggled
with this calamity throughout his career,
holding the modern continental tradition
largely responsible for the atrocities of war
and the inherent disorder.
Turning to "premodern philosophy,"
Voegelin searched for a nobility of soul, for
a new philosophy-a new science-that
would restore the sense of man's connection
with society (3). What is required is a proper
understanding of reality that would reestab-
lish a basis for its representation. The crisis
of modernity, Voegelin argues, was impli-
cated in and partly the fault of the "modern
philosophical trajectory" (2, 8). Although
his analysis of the continental philosophical
tradition is very critical, Voegelin's work also
bears marks of its influence. Apparently, he
has much more in common with the conti-
nental style of philosophizing than is usually
acknowledged (2).
In offering these introductory observa-
tions, I hope to elucidate why the volume
Eric Voegelin and the Continental Tradition:
Explorations in Modern Political Thought
is a compelling introduction and a fresh
reinstatement of Eric Voegelin's relationship
to the modern continental tradition in phi-
losophy. The book is significant not only as a
document in political thought but also as an
example of the relevance of Eric Voegelin's
works to the modern history of philosophy,
from Kant to Derrida, and, beyond that, a
kind of testament to the philosopher's quest
for spiritual freedom.
Editors Lee Trepanier and Steven F.
McGuire present a distinctive guide, showing
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FALL 2014

the way through the trajectories of Voegelin's
thought by carefully outlining his critique of
modernity. Voegelin was critical of the mod-
ern continental philosophers, but it is the
contention of Trepanier and McGuire that
he, nevertheless, has something in common
with them. The reader is alerted to new excit-
ing developments in Voegelin scholarship, as
the study discusses the similarities between
his thought and the work of other thinkers
in the continental tradition.
In short, the explorations in the book go
beyond Voegelin's critical apparatus and
explore how his "search for order" can be
enriched by a more sympathetic reading
of continental philosophical writings. The
commonalities between Voegelin and the
other modern thinkers are highlighted, and
an attempt is made to understand both the
crisis of modernity and the path beyond
it. Although not every relevant thinker is
included, Trepanier and McGuire's careful
selection process applies three criteria: first,
the modern philosophers selected are those
whom Voegelin had either written about
or was influenced by, and who had asked
similar questions about the structure of real-
ity; second, the published analyses covering
philosophers already compared with Voege-
lin were avoided; and, third, the chosen
contributors were not only familiar with
a modern philosopher's works but equally
sensitive to Voegelin's own philosophical
quest (8). Thus, considering these and other
significant omissions, the volume is far from
a complete account of Voegelin's relationship
to modern philosophy, but it is definitely a
noteworthy and exciting starting point for
further scientific analysis of his work.
The careful analyses by the eminent Voege-
lin scholars in the book explore thoughtfully
the diverse connections between Voegelin's
intellectual endeavours and continental
thought, and are laid out in ten sections. In
Modern Age - Fall 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Modern Age - Fall 2014
