Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte. Band 66,1

Liberalism is usually studied in Western settings, especially England, France and the United States, yet the concept has taken on different historical meanings in other parts of Europe and around the world. Early nineteenth-century liberal movements in Italy and Spain stimulated global enthusiasm and transnational networks. German liberals exemplified how reform could take place in cooperation with rather than opposition to the state, and in doing so impressed late nineteenth-century American reformers. From the 1820s, Indians in Bengal and elsewhere debated how to reconcile greater personal autonomy with historic communities of caste and religion. And rejecting the revolutionary ambitions of radical socialists and nationalists, Chinese reformers after 1900 sought an evolutionary path to a stable liberal republic. Histories from different global contexts demonstrate how our understanding of liberalism can be broadened to include experimentation, institutional pragmatism, a positive relationship to the state, and popular voices.

This essay tracks the rise to preeminence of the quest for social justice within American Reform Judaism across the late 19th and early 20th century. Although generally following their German progenitors on matters of theology and religious practice, the U. S. rabbinate, on whom this treatment concentrates, soon split with its more conservative Old World counterparts on matters of civic engagement. Beginning with David Einhorn’s full-throated challenge to slavery (for which he lost his first pulpit) in the 1860s, by the turn of the twentieth century, leading Reform synagogues regularly lined up with the advance guard of ‘social gospel’ Progressives when it came to the key issues of labor and immigrant rights, poverty, women’s equality, and government regulation of the capitalist marketplace. By the time of the Great Depression, the largely middle-class ranks of Reform Jewry had extended themselves into a reliably social-democratic constituency of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, albeit a constituency less united about emergent Zionist plans to solve the crisis of Jews in Europe.

This article examines the evolution of liberalism in post-Soviet Russia from the early 1990s to the 2020s and its current perception in Russian society. During the Soviet era, ideological analysis was constrained, leading to a diverse and inconsistent understanding of liberalism after the collapse of the USSR. Liberalism re-emerged during the perestroika era, developing into a distinctly Russian variant. While academics explored its historical and ideological foundations, political figures like Anatoly Chubais and Yegor Gaidar championed liberalism to advocate for economic reforms. Methodically, this study explores key concepts within Russian liberalism, including individual freedom, a market economy, and the rule of law. The notion of freedom, central to Russian liberalism, evolved from the concept of negative freedom. Economic freedom emerged as a cornerstone, emphasizing free markets, entrepreneurship, and property rights. Although justice was less central, it featured in discussions about legal equality and fairness, contrasting sharply with Soviet egalitarianism. Russian liberals promoted economic reforms and privatization as pathways to achieving equality of opportunity, despite criticisms regarding growing societal inequality. By providing a comprehensive exploration of the ideological evolution of Russian liberalism, the article highlights the persistent challenges and varied interpretations that shape its role in contemporary Russian society and politics.

The structure of knowledge in the Meditations has been the subject of much controversy. Some argue that, in Descartes’ view, “I exist” serves as the foundation of our knowledge. Others maintain that he distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge: perfect and imperfect. Before proving God’s existence, the meditator possesses imperfect knowledge of “I exist.” Afterward, she attains perfect knowledge of various metaphysical theorems. This article, however, defends a different view: that “I think” – rather than “I exist” – is the “Archimedean point” upon which all human knowledge is built.

Hegel’s Philosophy of Right is often misconceived as a normative theory prescribing how the state ought to be. While it is indeed a normative theory, its primary concern is to elucidate how the state must be understood to reveal its rationality. Hegel does not dictate, for instance, that the state should have a monarch; rather, he explores how, if a state includes a monarch, this role can and must be comprehended as a rational component of the state. He demonstrates how law, morality, family, and society, as they really exist, can be perceived as rational configurations. He also examines the extent to which each of these entities embodies rationality and identifies the point at which the rationality of one configuration transitions to the next – culminating in the state.

Even though his work is considered a cornerstone of the humanities, Wilhelm von Humboldt’s concept of Geist has been largely overlooked in scholarly discourse. This article first addresses the hermeneutical and linguistic challenges associated with the German term »Geist,« before attempting a reconstruction of Humboldt’s theory. By exploring his theories of history, language, and education (Bildung), the article argues that Humboldt conceives of Geist not as an object of theory or experience, but as a form and transcendental structure. According to Humboldt, Geist imparts meaning to linguistic, historical, and educational phenomena, mediating the relationship between self and world, and thus enabling the very possibility of meaning.

Giambattista Vico: Die Erste Neue Wissenschaft (1725). Übersetzt und mit einer Einleitung herausgegeben von Jürgen Trabant. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 2022. XLVI, 306 S.