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Dialectical Idealism and the Work of Lorenz von Stein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

John Weiss
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Dialectical idealism as applied to social theory may be provisionally defined as an attempt to explain the evolution of Western society through the use of dialectical forms which rely upon the presumed motive power of spiritual, mental, or ideal forces. These forces are presumed to “realize themselves” in the historical process. Hegel and Fichte, of course, first made such concepts familiar. The mighty influence of Marx and dialectical materialism, which kept the form but not the idealism of the Hegelian dialectic, has accounted for a lasting eclipse of interest in this earlier form of dialectical social thought. It is at least partly a symptom of this general decline of interest in dialectical idealism that the work of Lorenz von Stein has become, until quite recently, all but forgotten to modern scholarship.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , April 1963 , pp. 75 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1963

References

page 75 note 1 It is encouraging to note that Kaethe Mengelberg, one of the most astute students of Stein's work, will soon publish a translation of his major work: Geschichte der Sozialen Bewegung in Frankreich. See, Mengelberg, Kaethe, “Lorenz von Stein and his Contribution to Historical Sociology”, in: Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. XXII, 2, 04–06, 1961.Google Scholar

page 76 note 1 Stein's early attitude toward politics, law reform, and philosophy can be found in the following reviews:

Stein, Lorenz, Die Wissenschaft der Römischen Rechtsgeschichte, in: Hallische Jahrbücher, 1839, Numbers 201–206.Google Scholar

Stein, Carl von Savigny, System des Heutigen Römischen Rechts, in: Deutsche Jahrbücher, 1841, Numbers 92–96.Google Scholar

Feuerbach, Stein, Lehrbuch des Gemeinen im Deutschland Giltegen Peinlichen Rechts, in: Deutsche Jahrbücher, 1842, Numbers 70–74.Google Scholar

page 76 note 2 Stein, , “Feuerbach”, Number 72, p. 285.Google Scholar

page 77 note 1 Stein, , “Römische Rechtsgeschichte”, Number 201, p 1604.Google Scholar

page 78 note 1 Stein, Ibid., Number 202, p. 1612.

page 78 note 2 Stein, Ibid., Number 202, p. 1613.

page 79 note 1 Stein, Lorenz, Der Sozialismus und Kommunismus des heutigen Frankreich (Leipzig, 1842).Google Scholar

page 79 note 2 The Humanities Press, Second Edition. See also Mr. Marcuse's discussion of Stein in the same work.

page 79 note 3 Herbert Marcuse, op. cit., p. 211.

page 79 note 4 Ibid., p. 172.

page 80 note 1 Ibid., p. 212.

page 80 note 2 Stein, Lorenz von, Geschichte der Sozialen Bewegung in Frankreich, 1921, I, pp. 111–112.Google Scholar

page 80 note 3 Ibid., II, p. 57.

page 81 note 1 Stein, , Sozialismus und Kommunismus, 1848, I, p. 3–4.Google Scholar There is little evidence that Stein had much direct or far reaching influence over Karl Marx. Their ideas have much in common, but that is because many of their ideas were fairly common among the intellectuals of the German forties.

page 81 note 2 For some excellent expressions of this, see, Barzun, Jacques, Classic, Romantic, and Modern, Anchor Books, 1961, pp. 170–173.Google Scholar

page 81 note 3 Stein, Ibid., I, p. 16.

page 81 note 4 Stein, , Blicke auf der Socialismus und Communismus in Deutschland und ihre Zukunft, in: Deutsche Vierteljahrs Schrift. 1844, p. 7.Google Scholar

page 83 note 1 For Stein's treatment of economics see: Geschichte, I, 42fl., 107fl.; II 2fl, 26fl.

page 84 note 1 Stein, Ibid., II, p. 26.

page 85 note 1 Stein, Ibid., p. 49.

page 85 note 2 Stein, Ibid., p. 61.

page 87 note 1 Stein, Ibid., p. 172.

page 87 note 2 Stein, Ibid., p. 173.

page 87 note 3 Stein, Ibid., p. 172.

page 88 note 1 Stein, Ibid., p. 172.

page 88 note 2 Ibid., p. 291.

page 88 note 3 Ibid., p. 283.

page 88 note 4 Ibid., p. 307.

page 89 note 1 Stein, , Volume II, p. 123.Google Scholar

page 89 note 2 Stein, Lorenz, Ideen zur Geschichte der Arbeit, in: Deutsche Vierteljahrs Schrift, I, 1849, Section Two, p. 358.Google Scholar

page 89 note 3 Stein, , Geschichte, Volume I, p. 20.Google Scholar

page 90 note 1 Stein, Ibid., p. 21.

page 90 note 2 Stein, Ibid., p. 110–111.

page 90 note 3 Stein, Ibid., Volume III, p. 192.

page 91 note 1 Stein, Ibid., III, p. 203.