Billericay week 4 summary.
Week 4: Luther (1483 - 1546), Calvin (1509 - 1564), the Reformation and
Links:
1.
General Introduction:
What connections
are there between:
1.1 religious and political thought - noting 1.2:
the lack of clear correspondence,
1.3 religious conflict and political conflict,
1.4 social/political conditions and religious
beliefs?
2. The
Protestant Reformation - definitions:
2.1 The
Reformation: an attempt to
restore the spiritual purity of Christianity, which led to a radical split in Western
Christianity between Protestantism and Catholicism.
2.2 Protestantism: against the corruption of the Church; for the
individual conscience (against external authority) - for “faith” rather than
“deeds”;
2.3 the democratisation of the church;
2.4 less rituals
2.5 spiritual purity and the “inner policeman” -
guilt.
3. The
Reformation, Renaissance, and Humanism:
3.1 The end of an era of Christian domination in
thinking: limitations of ‘natural law’ approach; still some mediaeval aspects,
together with modernisation.
3.2 A violent age: peasant uprisings, later: mutual
persecution of Catholics and Protestants; 3.3
science, printing, exploration, the universities;
3.4 trade and new social classes (bourgeoisie,
working class), economic & political freedom;
3.5 humanistic, anthropocentric;
3.6 consequences of decline in papal power: growth
of monarchy (supported by bourgeoisie), rise of the nation-state
3.7 political conflict and religious conflict.
4.
Luther
4.1: Quote 1 - individual relationship with God à 4.2: Quote 5 “priesthood of
all believers”.
4.3 influence of
4.4: confrontation with the church
4.5: Quote 6: hostility to peasant uprisings
(Anabaptists).
4.6: ‘Protestantism’
4.7: Conclusion: aimed to free the individual
Christian, but Lutheranism became a state church.
5.
Calvin (in brief only!): The
most significant effect of Calvinism is (in the ‘Protestant work ethic’ etc) providing
the conditions for capitalism to develop. Although, like Luther, Calvin
believed church and state were separate, in practice where his ideas were taken
up (e.g. Geneva a “city of glass”) a kind of ‘theocracy’ was established.
However, where Calvinists were in a minority a doctrine of the right to resist
was developed…
6. Thomas More’s
Utopia (1516).
6.1 “Utopia”
– ‘no place’ or ‘beautiful place.’ “Utopian” writing: the creation of “a world that cannot be, but where one
fervently wishes to be… [a world] tantalizingly existing on the edge of
possibility”. (A. Kumar: Utopianism, OUP 1991).
Common features of
‘utopias’: memory of a “golden age” – dreams of a future ideal time – an
ideal city. Or: “dystopias.”
May try to explain – or simply to describe. Or may recommend (normative), or critique. More’s book puzzling in this respect...
Useful in political philosophy because reveal/question assumptions about: human nature, change, social order, values etc
An imaginative leap from this reality to another.
Different approaches
to ‘utopias’: authoritarian (glorify state or community at expense of
citizens) or libertarian (freedom and diversity)
Their value? Useful:
because represent ideals, hopes, dreams, visions... or critiques of existing
society. Not useful: because ignore
reality; or: ‘my utopia isn’t yours’ (Roger Scruton: uniformity is wrong);
danger of imposing a blueprint (Karl Popper).
6.2 More (1478 –
1535): his times and character.
The times.
Humanism. The Renaissance (‘rebirth’ of classical learning) – exploration, science, knowledge (universities, printing) à new views on: God and religion, language (national character), the nature of time, the human body. (Shakespeare, Da Vinci).
But there were still medieval/feudal features: religious conflict (e.g. Anabaptists and peasant uprisings – see Luther), public executions, inequality. Beginnings of capitalism Henry’s conflict with the Church, and More executed for refusing to sign oath of allegiance attached to Act of Succession (for his silence…).
More’s character.
Contradictions: gentle martyr/persecuting Lord Chancellor (wrote obscene pamphlets attacking protestants, and sent many to be burnt); utopian reformer/high role in the state. More ‘medieval schoolman’ than a renaissance statesman (wrote in Latin for small audience). Monastic outlook – self-restraint. Utopia to shame Christians by comparing them unfavourably with heathens?
Beatified in 1886, canonised ‘as a saint of the church of
Rome’ in 1935.
6.3 Themes in
Utopia – see the extracts.