Delphic Podcast by Michael R D James
Aug 17, 2026 · 7 min · 6 segments
Globalisation forces Cassirer argues were influenced by Stoicism. Kants Enlightenment Critical Practical Philosophy was undermined by a theoretical view of action proposed by Hegel which eventually…
Michael R. D. JamesHostIn relation to the above thought, consider an interesting philosophical and historical perspective which relates to Ernst Cassirer's work The Myth of State.
Cassirer claims that all political theories of the 17th century have a common metaphysical, mathematical background.
Metaphysical thought in the following century, amidst philosophers, took precedence over theological thought which in its turn was already being undermined by the subterranean stream of Stoical belief in a moral personality that surfaced first in the form of the thought of Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence which began with these famous words.
That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
The above experimental reflection on the rights and dignity of man preceded their philosophical-ethical justification through the works of Kant, a few years later, which put the final nail in the coffin of speculative metaphysics of all kinds and also provided a philosophical foundation for both human rights and the inevitable philosophical consequences.
Further, the Kantian-Copernican revolution provided a rational, non-experimental foundation for religion and politics and superseded the social contract theory of Hobbes and Locke which originated from the empirical scientific method.
The method of resolving a known whole into less known elements and synthesizing these elements back into a constructed whole again.
In this methodical process, an individual's moral personality mysteriously disappeared, especially in the case of Hobbes who claimed that there was a legal bond between subjects and their sovereign which amounted to a pact of submission on all issues related to the sovereign's power and authority.
Cassara argues that what we were witnessing during these years of the Enlightenment was a revival of Stoic ideas which seemed alone equal to the task of providing principles admitted by every nation, every creed, every sect.
One critical element of this revival was the idea that if a man was forced to give up his personality he would cease to be a moral being, he would become a slave of a Machiavellian prince or sovereign.
In relation to the above thought, consider an interesting philosophical and historical perspective which relates to Ernst Cassirer's work The Myth of State.
Cassirer claims that all political theories of the 17th century have a common metaphysical, mathematical background.
Metaphysical thought in the following century, amidst philosophers, took precedence over theological thought which in its turn was already being undermined by the subterranean stream of Stoical belief in a moral personality that surfaced first in the form of the thought of Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence which began with these famous words.
That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
The above experimental reflection on the rights and dignity of man preceded their philosophical-ethical justification through the works of Kant, a few years later, which put the final nail in the coffin of speculative metaphysics of all kinds and also provided a philosophical foundation for both human rights and the inevitable philosophical consequences.
Further, the Kantian-Copernican revolution provided a rational, non-experimental foundation for religion and politics and superseded the social contract theory of Hobbes and Locke which originated from the empirical scientific method.
The method of resolving a known whole into less known elements and synthesizing these elements back into a constructed whole again.
In this methodical process, an individual's moral personality mysteriously disappeared, especially in the case of Hobbes who claimed that there was a legal bond between subjects and their sovereign which amounted to a pact of submission on all issues related to the sovereign's power and authority.
Cassara argues that what we were witnessing during these years of the Enlightenment was a revival of Stoic ideas which seemed alone equal to the task of providing principles admitted by every nation, every creed, every sect.
One critical element of this revival was the idea that if a man was forced to give up his personality he would cease to be a moral being, he would become a slave of a Machiavellian prince or sovereign.
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