William Byrne

This study examines the role and meaning of the moral imagination in the political thought of Edmund Burke. This term probably originated with Burke; here, it is used to refer to a set of ethical and epistemological ideas central to his thought. A new understanding of Burke is offered which helps to resolve problems raised by conventional interpretations of him. Burke's moral-imaginative approach to politics and ethics offers important insights into the problem of identifying and maintaining sources of order and meaning within modern liberal democracy. This approach is explicated through the examination of a broad range of his writings and speeches. These include early writings on the theater and on the Sublime and Beautiful, and later political writings, including those on the French Revolution, India, Ireland, America, and Parliamentary reform. ;Burke develops a critique of Enlightenment rationalism which in some ways anticipates postmodernism, but which avoids the difficulties associated with contemporary rejections of foundationalism. Central to Burke is the problem of how we perceive the true and the good. For him, instrumental reason is only one component of judgment; another vital component is the imagination. The model which emerges is one in which the imagination creates meaningful wholes out of sensory data. Reason must operate within this imaginative framework; consequently judgment is profoundly influenced by it. Burke is not a simple political conservative, but he does wish to conserve those cultural elements which help constitute the "wardrobe of a moral imagination." Wholesale rejection of old prejudices, customs, traditions, religion, etc. causes a loss of meaning and a loss of standards needed to constrain the will; the result is arbitrariness and the collapse of liberal society. ;In this study a broad consistency emerges among Burke's political positions, and between his aesthetics and his ethical-political thought. As in "natural law" interpretations of Burke, he is understood here to recognize a universal order. But, Burke is shown to understand the universal to be perceived through the imagination, not "reason." The true and the good are found in particulars, not in the abstract, and are known intuitively and realized in practice

This highly readable book offers a contemporary interpretation of the political thought of Edmund Burke, drawing on his experiences to illuminate and address fundamental questions of politics and society that are of particular interest today. For Burke, one’s imaginative context provides meaning and is central to judgment and behavior. Many of Burke’s ideas can be brought together around his concept of the “moral imagination,” which has received little systematic treatment in the context of Burke’s own experience. In _Edmund Burke for Our Time_, Byrne asserts that Burke’s politics is reflective of unique and sophisticated ideas about how people think and learn and about determinants of political behavior. Burke’s thought is shown to offer much of contemporary value regarding the sources of order and meaning and the potential for a modern crisis if those sources are weakened or obscured. In addition to providing a re-interpretation of Burke’s response to a number of historical situations—including problems of colonial or imperial policy with regard to India, Ireland, and America—Byrne looks at the relationship between emotion and reason, and the role of culture in shaping political, social, and personal behaviors. To assist even readers with limited knowledge of Burke, the book includes biographical and historical information to provide needed context. Byrne’s important study will appeal to political philosophers, literature scholars, and those interested in addressing problems of politics and society in this late-modern age