In F.A. Hayek’s book The Counter-Revolution of Science, he explains the significance of two French thinkers, Henri de Saint Simon and Auguste Comte, who, by applying the language and methods of the natural sciences to social phenomenon, are responsible for the dramatic rise of socialism, totalitarianism, and the idea of the technocratic state. Even though these names have largely been forgotten to history, their ideas were wildly popular during the 19th century and merged with Hegelianism in Germany, leading to the works of Marx and Engles. In passing, Hayek refers to two prominent 19th century Biblical scholars, David Fredrich Strauss and Ernst Renan, both of whom were influenced by Saint-Simonian ideas. Both of these scholars were deeply influential in the development of modern Biblical scholarship, and both had ties to the nationalist and statist movements that swept Europe during this time. Strauss was the most influential member of the Tubingen School in Germany, which set the parameters for modern Biblical scholarship, and Renan had an outsized influence in France. I outline as a preliminary theory the significance of these two figures being attached to Saint-Simonian ideas and how that has quite possibly shaped the presuppositions of all modern Biblical scholarship down to this day. I also explain how Albert Schweitzer correctly sets both of their work in the context of Hegelianism but missed the Hegelian merger with Saint-Simonianism. We need a Biblical scholar who can take these ideas further, and I plan on addressing this interesting insight in more detail in later shows.
Media Referenced:
The Counter-Revolution of Science, F.A. Hayek
The Quest for the Historical Jesus, Albert Schweitzer
Approaches to Paul, Magnus Zetterholm
https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/first-three-quests-historical-jesus-reimarus-wright/
https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/next-quest-historical-jesus/
https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-90-the-counter-revolution-of-science-by-f-a-hayek/
The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.
Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!