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A Study Of James Harrington 's Republican Thought

Posted on:2014-08-05Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:M ZuoFull Text:PDF
GTID:1106330434473359Subject:World History
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James Harrington is an important republican theorist during English Revolution. In recent years, with the rise of Cambridge School and the revival of republicanism, his political thought has attracted much attention and aroused much controversy as well. This dissertation, based on variety of primary and secondary sources, explores Harrington’s republican thought in its historical and ideological context, and focuses on what kind of republic he intended to construct and by what means.This dissertation employs three-dimension research methods which are micro-, meso-, and marco-dimension. The micro dimension purports to clarify the logical frame on which Harrington brought forth his idea of a perfect commonwealth. It investigates how Harrington combined power and authority into a government, and explains his views on constitution, civil liberty, liberty of conscience, and empire. The meso-dimension which places Harrington’s thought in the historical context of English Revolution aims at combining ideas with events, so as to analyze the relations between Harrington’s thought and the great events of his age. The macro-dimension considers Harrington’s inheriting of and innovating in the tradition of republicanism, and compares his thought with other English republicans’so that the common features of English republicans as well as the uniqueness of Harrington himself will be illustrated clearly.This dissertation consists of seven chapters. The first chapter details Harrington’s life and works, especially the origin, publication and critics of his most significant political work:OceanaThe second chapter gives an account of Harrington’s most famous theory, that is, the balance of domination or property on which Harrington’s analysis of European and English history were based. Focusing on the meanings, origins and originality of this theory, the author shows how Harrington interpreted the causes of English Revolution and proved the inevitability of commonwealth through it.The third chapter analyzes Harrington’s principle of authority, which explains how to establish a commonwealth that not only has reason, virtue and authority, but also reflects the public interest. The author mainly focuses on how Harrington related the concepts of reason, interest, virtue, authority and "empire of laws" on the basis of a strict distinction between reason and passion; how he brought reason, virtue and authority into the superstructure of commonwealth by the bicameral government devise according to the principle of the dividing of debating and resolving, and how he by these means combined power and authority together in the commonwealth which was to reflect public interest and became an empire of laws. At last, the author explains by what way Harrington planned to establish his perfect commonwealth, and what obstacles he expected to meet.The fourth chapter discusses the main part of Harrington republican constitution, including agrarian law, ballot, senate and the assembly. This discussion aims to show what Harrington wanted to establish was in fact a mixed government which could be found in ancient as well as modern republics. However, Harrington did not fully inherit the traditional mixed constitution. On the contrary, he made significant adjustments to the constituent elements of the mixed constitution, and reconciled it with theory of sovereignty and separation of powers. Finally, the author illustrates the tripartite goals of Harrington’s republican constitution, and points out that liberty is the most important one.The fifth chapter concerns Harrington’s religious thought. Harrington’s commonwealth not only protected civil liberty, but also permitted liberty of conscience. He believed civil liberty and liberty of conscience were inseparable, one lost, the other damaged. His views on religious issues were deeply rooted in the struggle for religious freedom in the17th century in England. He attributed the religious persecution in modern world to "priestcraft", that is to say, the ancient Israel and the early Christian church were democratic, and their clergies were ordained by people and submitted to civil government. But later, clergies distorted facts and usurped the power of people. As a result, they got independent power from civil government. Thus, the only way to address religious issues was to give the power of appointing clergy back to people and establish a national church that permits liberty of conscience.The sixth chapter analyzes Harrington’s imperial thought. All English republicans were influenced by Machiavelli, and they believed republic must expand to on one hand protect herself, on the other spread freedom over the word, which was her moral mission. However, Machiavelli and other English republicans were caught in the paradox of liberty and greatness. Because they concluded from Roman history that internal tumults and liberty were the basis of external expansion and greatness, but expansion would inevitably lead to a loss of liberty. Harrington was relatively unique in that he jumped out of the dilemma and convinced that his equal commonwealth would be not only capable of external expansion, but also keeping internal tranquility and liberty. Such a commonwealth will be perfect and immortal. But is it a utopia? This is the last question to be discussed in the present chapter.Chapter seven describes the efforts Harrington and his followers made in1659to implement his republican scheme. The year1659was the most turbulent year in British history, with the frequent changes of government, hundreds of thousands of proposals and pamphlets concerning government sprang out. Most of Harrington’s treatises were written in this year, and some Harringtonians in and outside parliaments also appeared. During the same period, Harrington organized the Rota club which was the first normative political club in early modern history and played an important role in spreading Harrington’s political thought.
Keywords/Search Tags:James Harrington, Republicanism, Oceana, constitution, liberty
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