Orville Jenkins Articles Menu
Orville Jenkins Home
Orville Jenkins Book Reviews Menu

Reviews

Self and the World, Knowing Reality
Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
A review of the book by Kenneth Keulman
The Balance of Consciousness:  Eric Voegelin's Political Theory (University Park/London:  Pennsylvania State University Press, 1990.  194pp.)

See my book reviews on Amazon.com
See menu of all book reviews on this site

The underlying theme all through this volume is Epistemology, the core of Voegelin's philosophy.  Epistemology is the science or philosophy of knowledge, how we know, how we can substantiate, verify, and understand ourselves and the external world.  Voegelin analyzes theories of worldview and consciousness, and deals with the role of religion in the problems of consciousness and government.

Keulman reviews how Voegelin critiques the key historical philosophies, and how he handles the problems of self-consciousness and personal identity in relation to objective reality.  Voegelin analyzes societal organization and government in light of his findings about consciousness and interpersonal relationships.  Hegel and Marx come in for serious criticism for using logical fallacies and other limitations.

Voegelin shows creative insights in clarifying the shift in ideas of reality resulting from modern science and the adjustments made by current society to move away from the naïve a priori assumptions and Rationalist limitations of the Modern period.  Writing in the 1940s to his death in 1985, Voegelin analyzed the great movements of the 20th century, fascism and communism.

He surveyed modern-era ideological movements in comparison to political systems of the historical period.   He references social and political models from Sumeria and Assyria, the Hebrews and Greeks, through the key social forms of Empire under Rome and its European successors.  We can see in Voegelin's key insights and conclusions how the perspective now called "Postmodernism" arose to correct the excesses and limitations of the Modern ideological mindset.

Voegelin developed a powerful and incisive theory of Consciousness within the context of Political Theory.  This was a rewarding and satisfying study.

See related reviews and articles on this site:
[review] Cultural Insights in World Migration
[review] How Do You Know?
[TXT] Knowledge and Politics – Blog
[review] Mind and Will in Psychology and Neurology
[review] Progressive Foundations for Postmodern Christianity
[review] Revolution Already Underway

See this book with my review on Amazon.com
See my book reviews on Amazon.com
See menu of all book reviews on this site
See my reading lists
Many other books have review notes with the reading list entry

OBJ

Review first written and posted on Amazon 25 February 2011
Posted on OJTR 29 June 2011

Orville Boyd Jenkins, EdD, PhD
Copyright © 2011 Orville Boyd Jenkins
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use.   Please give credit and link back.   Other rights reserved.

Email:  orville@jenkins.nu
Orville Jenkins Articles Menu
Orville Jenkins Home
Orville Jenkins Book Reviews Menu

filename:  keulmanvoegelinepistemology.html