The Outcome of Religion, Natural Law and Reasoning in the Political View of Edmund Burke

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

10.22034/jrr.2023.310922.1936

Abstract

Edmund Burke is one of the Western thinkers who have attracted the attention of researchers due to the use of pragmatic propositions from religion and philosophy in his political thought. However, the lack of systematic written theory and knowledge has caused contradictory and erroneous interpretations of his thought. Considering the importance of the role of religion and philosophy in Burke's anthropological, epistemological, and sociological foundations and their function in the political and intellectual developments of the past two centuries, the present article by adopting a qualitative approach and applying the method of argumentative analysis seeks to examine the outcome of religion, natural law and reasoning as three fundamental, epistemological, and pragmatic pillars in Burke's thought and to answer some basic contradictions in this regard. The findings show that despite not being a theologian, Burke is against the non-revealed interpretation of religion, human nature, and human society. The same point of view is also present in his epistemological foundations, in such a way that his understanding of natural law, respect for conventional wisdom, belief in the submission of authoritarian government to the law, the continuous emphasis on the rights of citizens, distinction between the functions of practical reason and theoretical reason, and his understanding of social man ordered towards the common good, are all influenced by his theological thought, especially the school of Thomism. Burke lacked a stable system of comparative reasoning and opposing theory in his thought, and his understanding of religion was sometimes partial and based on religious assumptions rather than his understanding of the truth of religion. However, the same divine view is also seen in the purpose and method of his political reasoning and moral theory, which ultimately led to his realistic attention to man, nature, rights, governance, and freedom in the form of divine universal order.
 

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