Pufendorf’s Theory of Sociability: Passions, Habits and Social Order

195 Pages·2018·1.814 MB·English

by  Heikki Haara

The New Synthese Historical Library
Heikki Haara
Pufendorf ’s
Theory of
Sociability:
Passions, Habits
and Social Order
The New Synthese Historical Library
Texts and Studies in the History of Philosophy
Volume 77
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More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6608
Heikki Haara
Pufendorf’s Theory
of Sociability: Passions,
Habits and Social Order
Heikki Haara
University of Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland
ISSN 1879-8578 ISSN 2352-2585 (electronic)
The New Synthese Historical Library
ISBN 978-3-319-99324-9 ISBN 978-3-319-99325-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99325-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962156
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Acknowledgements
This book originated from my doctoral dissertation at the University of Helsinki.
My greatest intellectual debt goes to Kari Saastamoinen, who has been the most
perceptive and critical reader of my text. Extended discussions with Kari have been
imperative to my work. I am deeply grateful to Virpi Mäkinen whose persistent
direction and encouragement have been vital to my work throughout. Pauli
Kettunen’s generous and scholarly instruction during the course of my undergraduate
and graduate studies has been important for my intellectual development. I am also
greatly indebted to Simo Knuuttila, who first suggested to me to study Pufendorf’s
views on passions and has always offered his erudite advice. I want to thank Risto
Saarinen for his considerate support. While writing my dissertation, I spent an aca-
demic year as a Fulbright visiting researcher at the University of California,
Berkeley, where Kinch Hoekstra not only thoughtfully guided my work at its early
stage but also set an example of how to read complex texts in a scholarly manner.
I started my project in the Psychology, Morality and Politics Centre of Excellence
(led by Simo Knuuttila) and continued in the Natural Rights and Needs in Medieval
and Early Modern Politics Academy Project (led by Virpi Mäkinen) and the Reason
and Religious Recognition Centre of Excellence (led by Risto Saarinen). It has been
a pleasure and a privilege to be a member of these exceptional research communi-
ties in Helsinki. In the discipline of political history, I owe thanks to teachers and
colleagues who have been continually generous in offering me support and help.
Among the people in Berkeley, I would also like to thank Shannon Stimson and
participants in the Political Theory and Philosophy seminar. I completed the manu-
script while a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford. I would
like to reiterate my thanks to Werner Jeanrond and the members of St. Benet’s Hall
for providing a hospitable working environment. The Academy of Finland, the
University of Helsinki Science Foundation and the ASLA-Fulbright Foundation
provided funding for my project, for which I am thankful.
Several parts of this book were given as seminar papers, and I have received
numerous important comments from a variety of audiences in Oslo, Helsinki,
Berkeley, London, Urbana-Champaign, Tromso, Budapest, Riga, Jyväskylä,
Leuven, St. Andrews, Blagoevgrad, York and Oxford. For frequent illuminating
v
vi Acknowledgements
conversations about early modern intellectual history and valuable assistance, my
thanks go to Mikko Tolonen. I am very grateful for Tim Stuart-Buttle who read a
final draft of the manuscript with great perception and made numerous scholarly
suggestions I have done my best to incorporate. Johan Olsthoorn’s sharp eye and
intelligent comments made the book better. Aino Lahdenranta has been an impor-
tant discussant of moral sentimentalism and a source of critical insight. I would like
to express my thanks to the official reviewers of my doctoral thesis, Michael Seidler,
who gave thorough and knowledgeable comments on each chapter, and Simone
Zurbuchen, who offered astute and constructive criticism. I owe thanks to numerous
colleagues who have discussed aspects of my research and helped me during the
course of the evolution of my study. I want to mention especially Hanne Appelqvist,
Heikki J. Koskinen, Maijastina Kahlos, Juhana Lemetti, Christopher Lloyd, Ritva
Palmén, Ville Paukkonen, Mikko Posti, Panu-Matti Pöykkö, Martina Reuter,
Jonathan Robinsson, Gerard Ryan, Jonathan Sheehan, Marianna Sunnari, Anna-
Liisa Tolonen, Ericka Tucker, Jussi Varkemaa, Arthur Yates, Rosie Wagner and Sam
Zeitlin.
Some parts of this book have appeared previously. Chapter 3 is based on a sig-
nificantly extended and revised version of my article Haara, Heikki. 2016. Pufendorf
on Passions and Sociability. Journal of the History of Ideas 77: 423–444. Some of
the material in Chap. 4 is derived from the article Haara, Heikki, and Lahdenranta,
Aino. 2018. Smithian Sentimentalism Anticipated: Pufendorf on the Desire for
Esteem and Moral Conduct. Journal of Scottish Philosophy 16: 19–37. Both are
reproduced by the permission of the editors and publishers. I owe thanks to the edi-
tors and anonymous referees for their perceptive comments and suggestions. Thanks
also go to Springer’s anonymous referee for his supportive and helpful comments
and to Mark Shackleton for polishing the language of the final draft. Finally, my
deepest debt of gratitude goes to my wife Nanne for her continuing inspiration.
Contents
1 Introduction: Moral Psychology and Sociability ................................. 1
2 Reason and Habits .................................................................................. 17
2.1 Rational Demonstration of the Principle of Socialitas .................... 18
2.2 Moral and Physical Entities and the Natural Condition
of Humankind .................................................................................. 22
2.3 Habitual Adoption of Moral Norms ................................................. 29
2.4 Conscience ....................................................................................... 35
2.5 Will, Understanding and Moral Accountability ............................... 41
2.6 The State and Habituation ................................................................ 52
3 Passions .................................................................................................... 59
3.1 Human Nature and Passions ............................................................ 61
3.2 The Will’s Ability to Restrain the Passions ...................................... 66
3.3 Understanding and Shame ............................................................... 70
3.4 Cultivation of the Mind .................................................................... 74
3.5 Rational Self–Love .......................................................................... 80
3.6 Fear of God’s Punishment ................................................................ 85
3.7 Fear and Political Governance ......................................................... 91
4 The Desire for Esteem ............................................................................. 99
4.1 Esteem .............................................................................................. 101
4.2 Ambition .......................................................................................... 108
4.3 Self-Esteem and Resentment ........................................................... 113
4.4 Competition for Intensive Esteem and Honour ................................ 120
4.5 Duties of Humanity and Gratitude ................................................... 125
4.6 Desire for Esteem as a Social Passion ............................................. 133
5 The Inclination to Self-Preservation ..................................................... 137
5.1 The Duty to Stay Alive ..................................................................... 139
5.2 The Coercive Effects of the Inclination to Self-Preservation .......... 145
5.3 Resistance Theory and a Prisoner’s Right to Escape ....................... 151
5.4 The Principle of Necessity and Property ......................................... 157
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viii Contents
6 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 165
Bibliography .................................................................................................... 171
Author Index.................................................................................................... 181
Subject Index ................................................................................................... 185
About the Author
Heikki Haara is a postdoctoral researcher in the Reason and Religious Recognition
project, at the Academy of Finland’s Centre of Excellence, University of Helsinki.
He gained his PhD in Helsinki and has been a visiting researcher at the universities
of California, Berkeley and Oxford. He has published articles in academic journals
such as the Journal of the History of Ideas and Journal of Scottish Philosophy.
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