Colin D. Pearce holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto. He has published in a number of journals including The Simms Review, Canadian Journal of Political Science, The Journal of the History of Ideas, South Carolina Review, Studies in Literary Imagination, The Kipling Journal, Perspectives on Politics, Interpretation, Humanitas, Clio, Appraisal, The Explicator, Quadrant and other venues. He is currently the Hayek Scholar at the Clemson Institute and a Faculty Affiliate of the University of Haifa. He was the William Gilmore Simms Professor at University of South Carolina in 2004 and is past President of the William Gilmore Simms Society as well as the South Carolina Political Science Association. He is presently teaching in the Political Science Department and the Honors College at Clemson University
This is a 3,000 word review of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene D. Genovese's monumental stu... more This is a 3,000 word review of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene D. Genovese's monumental study of the intellectual life of the ante-bellum South entitled "The Mind of the Master Class: History and Faith in the Southern Slaveholders' Worldview "(Cambridge University Press, 2005) While acknowledging the book as an outstanding achievement in terms of the sheer comprehensiveness of its scope and the breadth of its coverage of southern intellectual culture it concludes that the authors' pre-existing methodological assumptions imposed severe limitations on how deeply they could penetrate into the philosophical spirit animating "The Mind of the South" prior to the onset of the Civil War.
... 8. See Simon 0. Lesser, The Image of the Father: A Reading of 'My Kinsman, Major Mo... more ... 8. See Simon 0. Lesser, The Image of the Father: A Reading of 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux' and 'I Want to Know Why,' Partisan Review (Summer, 1955), 370-390; Seymour L. Gross, Hawthorne's 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux': History as Moral Adventure, Nineteenth ...
This short document juxtaposes two quotes from H.L. Mencken and Leo Strauss respectively. It show... more This short document juxtaposes two quotes from H.L. Mencken and Leo Strauss respectively. It shows both men dealing with the problem of radically ascetic morality.
Jan Patocka (1907-1977) was the philosophical godfather of the Czechoslovakian “Charter 77” movem... more Jan Patocka (1907-1977) was the philosophical godfather of the Czechoslovakian “Charter 77” movement and the corresponding politics of the famous dissident playwright and later president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel (1936-2011). In a Times column, Roger Scruton described Patocka as “the greatest luminary of modern Czech culture.” Studying in Prague, Paris, Berlin, and Freiburg, Patocka worked under Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) before completing his thesis in 1936. He soon became the editor of a journal named The Czech Spirit and went on to produce studies of his countrymen Comenius (1592-1670) and Thomas Masaryk (1850-1937) amongst other thinkers.
Patocka’s best known works in English are Plato and Europe (1973) and Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History (1975), the latter of which received some careful treatment at the hands of Jacques Derrida, while Paul Ricoeur wrote the preface to a subsequent edition (1999). French readers will find Patocka’s Eternite et Historicite to be readily available. In the period from 1968 to his passing, Patocka was banned from teaching in the Czech universities. A film about his life and work, entitled The Socrates of Prague, appeared in 2017.
During the 1950’s and early 1960’s Murray N. Rothbard was writing “private” book reviews in his c... more During the 1950’s and early 1960’s Murray N. Rothbard was writing “private” book reviews in his capacity as a research analyst for the Volcker Fund. Towards the end of his tenure in this position Rothbard penned reviews of Strauss’s What is Political Philosophy? Thoughts on Machiavelli, On Tyranny and essay entitled “Relativism.” The recent publication of these reviews affords us an opportunity to place the thought of Rothbard into comparative perspective with that of Leo Strauss. In so doing we are examining two figures who are frequently identified, whether rightly or wrongly, as the intellectual godfathers of contemporary libertarianism and neo-conservatism respectively.
This essay seeks to demonstrate a certain overlap between the political thought of Leo Strauss (1... more This essay seeks to demonstrate a certain overlap between the political thought of Leo Strauss (1899-1973) and H. L. Mencken (1888-1956). The argument fully recognizes that Strauss is a political philosopher inclined to the classics and natural right, and Mencken is a journalist inclined to the moderns and the power of scientific progress, they nevertheless occupy the same terrain in respect of certain opinions on the purely political plane. Allowing a great distance between the two men philosophically speaking, we can still see them come together in arguing that a regime which looks up to certain individuals of ability, talents, character, intellect and virtue has to be the standard by which the discipline of political science makes its judgments concerning the phenomena of political life.
Abstract
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms... more Abstract This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
Keywords: Kipling, Machiavelli, Kingship, Empire, Prudence, Religion, Virtue, Progress, Women
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in te... more This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
An analytical review of H.D. Forbes' "Multiculturalism in Canada: Constructing a Model Multicultu... more An analytical review of H.D. Forbes' "Multiculturalism in Canada: Constructing a Model Multiculture with Multicultural Values"
This chapter from "D. H. Lawrence, Technology, and Modernity" edited by Indrek ... more This chapter from "D. H. Lawrence, Technology, and Modernity" edited by Indrek Männiste, University of Tartu, Estonia (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019) seeks to present the inner spirit of David Herbert Lawrence's alienation from modern civilization and the grounds for his arrival at this condition.
This is a 3,000 word review of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene D. Genovese's monumental stu... more This is a 3,000 word review of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene D. Genovese's monumental study of the intellectual life of the ante-bellum South entitled "The Mind of the Master Class: History and Faith in the Southern Slaveholders' Worldview "(Cambridge University Press, 2005) While acknowledging the book as an outstanding achievement in terms of the sheer comprehensiveness of its scope and the breadth of its coverage of southern intellectual culture it concludes that the authors' pre-existing methodological assumptions imposed severe limitations on how deeply they could penetrate into the philosophical spirit animating "The Mind of the South" prior to the onset of the Civil War.
... 8. See Simon 0. Lesser, The Image of the Father: A Reading of 'My Kinsman, Major Mo... more ... 8. See Simon 0. Lesser, The Image of the Father: A Reading of 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux' and 'I Want to Know Why,' Partisan Review (Summer, 1955), 370-390; Seymour L. Gross, Hawthorne's 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux': History as Moral Adventure, Nineteenth ...
This short document juxtaposes two quotes from H.L. Mencken and Leo Strauss respectively. It show... more This short document juxtaposes two quotes from H.L. Mencken and Leo Strauss respectively. It shows both men dealing with the problem of radically ascetic morality.
Jan Patocka (1907-1977) was the philosophical godfather of the Czechoslovakian “Charter 77” movem... more Jan Patocka (1907-1977) was the philosophical godfather of the Czechoslovakian “Charter 77” movement and the corresponding politics of the famous dissident playwright and later president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel (1936-2011). In a Times column, Roger Scruton described Patocka as “the greatest luminary of modern Czech culture.” Studying in Prague, Paris, Berlin, and Freiburg, Patocka worked under Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) before completing his thesis in 1936. He soon became the editor of a journal named The Czech Spirit and went on to produce studies of his countrymen Comenius (1592-1670) and Thomas Masaryk (1850-1937) amongst other thinkers.
Patocka’s best known works in English are Plato and Europe (1973) and Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History (1975), the latter of which received some careful treatment at the hands of Jacques Derrida, while Paul Ricoeur wrote the preface to a subsequent edition (1999). French readers will find Patocka’s Eternite et Historicite to be readily available. In the period from 1968 to his passing, Patocka was banned from teaching in the Czech universities. A film about his life and work, entitled The Socrates of Prague, appeared in 2017.
During the 1950’s and early 1960’s Murray N. Rothbard was writing “private” book reviews in his c... more During the 1950’s and early 1960’s Murray N. Rothbard was writing “private” book reviews in his capacity as a research analyst for the Volcker Fund. Towards the end of his tenure in this position Rothbard penned reviews of Strauss’s What is Political Philosophy? Thoughts on Machiavelli, On Tyranny and essay entitled “Relativism.” The recent publication of these reviews affords us an opportunity to place the thought of Rothbard into comparative perspective with that of Leo Strauss. In so doing we are examining two figures who are frequently identified, whether rightly or wrongly, as the intellectual godfathers of contemporary libertarianism and neo-conservatism respectively.
This essay seeks to demonstrate a certain overlap between the political thought of Leo Strauss (1... more This essay seeks to demonstrate a certain overlap between the political thought of Leo Strauss (1899-1973) and H. L. Mencken (1888-1956). The argument fully recognizes that Strauss is a political philosopher inclined to the classics and natural right, and Mencken is a journalist inclined to the moderns and the power of scientific progress, they nevertheless occupy the same terrain in respect of certain opinions on the purely political plane. Allowing a great distance between the two men philosophically speaking, we can still see them come together in arguing that a regime which looks up to certain individuals of ability, talents, character, intellect and virtue has to be the standard by which the discipline of political science makes its judgments concerning the phenomena of political life.
Abstract
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms... more Abstract This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
Keywords: Kipling, Machiavelli, Kingship, Empire, Prudence, Religion, Virtue, Progress, Women
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in te... more This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
An analytical review of H.D. Forbes' "Multiculturalism in Canada: Constructing a Model Multicultu... more An analytical review of H.D. Forbes' "Multiculturalism in Canada: Constructing a Model Multiculture with Multicultural Values"
This chapter from "D. H. Lawrence, Technology, and Modernity" edited by Indrek ... more This chapter from "D. H. Lawrence, Technology, and Modernity" edited by Indrek Männiste, University of Tartu, Estonia (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019) seeks to present the inner spirit of David Herbert Lawrence's alienation from modern civilization and the grounds for his arrival at this condition.
THE TRUE HISTORIAN:
FACTS, VALUES AND THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS - Colin D. Pea... more THE TRUE HISTORIAN: FACTS, VALUES AND THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS - Colin D. Pearce -Clemson University
In 1991 Simon Schama stirred much controversy when he published a book in which he presented certain invented material to do with American history as factual in what was ostensibly a book of history.1 No doubt just as much as Schama, William Gilmore Simms, would fail to qualify as a “scientific” historian by modern standards. But Schama takes a fatal step unthinkable to Simms - he indicates a certain doubt as to the historian’s ultimate obligation to the concept of “Truth” with a capital “T.” This paper then will consider Simms’s historiography in the light of the limits of “scientific history” on the one hand and the validity of “humanist history” with its place for the active imagination on the other. The paper begins from Sean Busick’s assumption that William Gilmore Simms thought long and deeply about “the nature of history and its relationship to fiction, epic, and myth” and that this theme is of the essence in seeking a fuller understanding of Simms’s oeuvre.2
1. Simon Schama, Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations) (London: Granta Books/Penguin,1991). 2. Sean Busick, A Sober Desire for History: William Gilmore Simms as Historian (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 2005),p.xxi.
This paper discusses two statements in defense of Israel and the Zionist cause. One takes the fo... more This paper discusses two statements in defense of Israel and the Zionist cause. One takes the form of a 1956 letter from a controversial German-American political philosopher to a journal of opinion. The other takes the form of a famous 1975 address to the General Assembly of the United Nations by a distinguished Irish-American Senator who was at that time the United States Ambassador to that body. Both Professor Leo Strauss and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan were vigorous in their defense of the claims, purposes and goals of the Israeli State. But a careful study of Strauss’s letter and Moynihan’s address reveals a great divergence of premises underlying their respective apologiae for the Israeli experiment. Strauss’s letter to the then fledgling National Review seeks to justify Israel as a “conservative” project to a “conservative” readership. Senator Moynihan’s speech to the United Nations by contrast insists that it is the duty of all honest “liberals” to condemn the U.N. Resolution and stand tall with the State of Israel as deserving of membership in the liberal family of nations.
A comparative discussion of limits of 19th Century and 20th/21st Century liberalism in the light ... more A comparative discussion of limits of 19th Century and 20th/21st Century liberalism in the light of the case that a Global State is the necessary historical terminus of liberal modernity.
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Patocka’s best known works in English are Plato and Europe (1973) and Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History (1975), the latter of which received some careful treatment at the hands of Jacques Derrida, while Paul Ricoeur wrote the preface to a subsequent edition (1999). French readers will find Patocka’s Eternite et Historicite to be readily available. In the period from 1968 to his passing, Patocka was banned from teaching in the Czech universities. A film about his life and work, entitled The Socrates of Prague, appeared in 2017.
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
Keywords: Kipling, Machiavelli, Kingship, Empire, Prudence, Religion, Virtue, Progress, Women
Patocka’s best known works in English are Plato and Europe (1973) and Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History (1975), the latter of which received some careful treatment at the hands of Jacques Derrida, while Paul Ricoeur wrote the preface to a subsequent edition (1999). French readers will find Patocka’s Eternite et Historicite to be readily available. In the period from 1968 to his passing, Patocka was banned from teaching in the Czech universities. A film about his life and work, entitled The Socrates of Prague, appeared in 2017.
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.
Keywords: Kipling, Machiavelli, Kingship, Empire, Prudence, Religion, Virtue, Progress, Women
FACTS, VALUES AND THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS - Colin D. Pearce -Clemson University
In 1991 Simon Schama stirred much controversy when he published a book in which he presented certain invented material to do with American history as factual in what was ostensibly a book of history.1 No doubt just as much as Schama, William Gilmore Simms, would fail to qualify as a “scientific” historian by modern standards. But Schama takes a fatal step unthinkable to Simms - he indicates a certain doubt as to the historian’s ultimate obligation to the concept of “Truth” with a capital “T.” This paper then will consider Simms’s historiography in the light of the limits of “scientific history” on the one hand and the validity of “humanist history” with its place for the active imagination on the other. The paper begins from Sean Busick’s assumption that William Gilmore Simms thought long and deeply about “the nature of history and its relationship to fiction, epic, and myth” and that this theme is of the essence in seeking a fuller understanding of Simms’s oeuvre.2
1. Simon Schama, Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations) (London: Granta Books/Penguin,1991).
2. Sean Busick, A Sober Desire for History: William Gilmore Simms as Historian (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 2005),p.xxi.