Periodici
The Tocqueville Review/La Revue Tocqueville
Anno 47 , numero/fascicolo 1 https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/ttr.47.1.171 This article reconstructs the intellectual trajectory of Melvin Richter in order to illuminate the conceptual links between British Idealism, the German tradition of Begriffsgeschichte, and the political thought of Montesquieu and Tocqueville. It argues that these seemingly distinct fields are united by a common concern: the transformation of religious categories into secular principles of political and civic life in modern democratic societies. By tracing Richter’s early engagement with T. H. Green and British Idealism, the study highlights how notions such as self-realization and self-subordination functioned as secularized expressions of religious ethics, giving rise to a form of “civic religion” grounded in moral duty and social responsibility. The article ultimately argues that the tension between self-abnegation and self-interest constitutes a central axis for understanding the moral foundations of modern democracies.
