From Divine Cosmos to Sovereign State: An Intellectual History of Consciousness and the Idea of Order in Renaissance England

Collins, Stephen L.

ISBN 10: 019507131X / ISBN 13: 9780195071313

Published by Oxford University Press, 1991

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: From Divine Cosmos to Sovereign State: An Intellectual History of Consciousness and the Idea of Order in Renaissance England
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 019507131X
• ISBN 13: 9780195071313
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

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Synopsis

In the late English Renaissance, writers as varied as Shakespeare, Hooker, Bacon, and Hobbes problematically engaged the traditional idea of order and helped define a new, secular one. In this intellectual history, Collins treats the idea of order as a dynamic concept which incorporates changing views of self, society, and the relationship between private and public during these years. He sees this as a process of meaning redefinition that simultaneously heightens and comes to terms with the dissolution of the old idea of order; the self-consciously articulated concept of the representative sovereign state replaces the vision of the divine cosmos as the medium for identity and social order. Collins draws on a wide range of political, literary, and other contemporary writings to chart this process--now associated with secularization--providing a provocative analysis of social and intellectual change.