The notion of philosophical anthropology in the political thought of Eric Voegelin

This thesis is an examination of the notion of philosophical anthropology in the thought of the political philosopher Eric Voegelin. "Philosophical anthropology" designates a tradition of thinking about the nature of man that originates, properly speaking, in the early 20th century, but which in a broader sense, in the West, may be understood to extend from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. This essay is concerned particularly with explaining Voegelin's adaptation of the tradition of philosophical anthropology to his own area of specialization, namely, political science. This goal is realised below in three stages: First, an explanation of this tradition as exemplified in the thought of its major representatives in order to demonstrate the salient features therein. Second, Voegelin's own philosophical anthropology is explicated in view of this tradition. In the final part, Voegelin's application of the tradition of philosophical anthropology to the sphere of politics, and his view of the role of the political scientist in this social context, is explained.