Eric Voegelin (1901-1985) was a
political scientist and
philosopher. He was born in
Cologne,
Germany, and studied at the University of Vienna. He became a professor of political science in the Faculty of Law. Fleeing the
Nazis, he immigrated with his wife to America in 1938. He spent most of his career at Louisiana State University, the Univeristy of Munich, and the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.
Voegelin's work is known to be difficult to trudge through and is often misinterpreted, but those who persist generally find it rewarding. He concentrated on analyzing modern political theory and attempted to create a cohesive philosophy of the
individual,
society, and
history.
Voegelin published over 100 essays and articles, as well as the following books:
- Ueber die Form des amerikanischen Geistes. Tuebingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck). 1928.
- Rasse und Staat. Tuebingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck). Die Rassenidee in der Geistesgeschichte von Ray bis Carus. Berlin: Junker & Duennhaupt. 1933.
- Der Autoritaere Staat. Vienna: Springer. 1936.
- Die politischen Religionen. Vienna: Bermann-Fischer. Reprint ed., 1939 with new Foreword, Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer. 1938.
- The New Science of Politics: An Introduction. Chicago. University of Chicago Press. 1952.
- Israel and Revelation. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Vol. I of Order and History. 1956.
- The World of the Polis. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Vol. 11 of Order and History. Plato and Aristotle. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Vol. III of Order and History. 1957.
- Die Neue Wissenschaft der Politik/Eine/Einfuehrung. Munich: Pustet. (Translation of The New Science of Politics.) Wissenschaft, Politik, und Gnosis. Munich: Koesel. 1959.
- Anamnesis: Zur Theorie der Geschichte and Politik. Munich: R. Piper & Co., Verlag. 1966.
- Science, Politics, and Gnosticism. Chicago: Henry Regnery. (Translation of Wissenschaft, Politik, und Gnosis by William J. Fitzpatrick, with a Foreword to the American edition.) La Nuova Scienza Politica. Turin: Borla. (Translation of The New Science of Politics, with an introduction by A. Del Noce.) 1968.
- 11 Mito del Mondo Nuovo. Milan: Rusconi. (Translation of Wissenschaft, Politik, und Gnosis by Arrigo Munari, with an introduction by Mario Marcolla.) 1970.
- Anamnesis: Teoria della Storia e della Politica. Milan: Guiffre. (Translation of Anamnesis.) 1972.
- The Ecumenic Age. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Vol. IV of Order and History. 1974.
- From Enlightenment to Revolution. Edited by John H. Hallowell. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press. 1975.
- Anamnesis. Notre Dame, Ind. and London: University of Notre Dame Press. (Translated and edited by Gerhart Niemeyer, with a new Chapter I, "Remembrance of Things Past," for the American edition.). 1978.
- Conversations with Eric Voegelin. Edited by Eric O'Connor. S. J. Montreal: Thomas More Institute. (Transcript of four lectures and discussions held in Montreal in 1965, 1967, 1970, and 1976.) 1980.