The Rise and Fall of Rational Control: The History of Modern Political Philosophy

by Harvey Claflin Mansfield

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

Published January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mansfield's delightful prose, but I'm most impressed by his ability to get to the heart of the complex philosophies he discusses and presents throughout. The influence of the western tradition on the author, who identifies as a conservative, is also quite obvious. I won't claim I understood - or agreed with - every single thing he tried to express or hint at (for that, I need to study political philosophy more), but what I did comprehend was very interesting and useful. The book is primarily about political philosophy of course, but it is also quite insightful for understanding philosophical developments in general over the last half a millennium. I anticipate reading this many more times in the future to fully appreciate its depth & analyses.

[Mikael Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Mansfield argues that modern political philosophy is constituted by a self-conscious attempt by a line of great philosophers to preserve, elaborate, and debate a central idea. Because of this, modern political philosophy has an "internal history" that is more cohesive and less "accidental" than the vagaries of human historical development more generally. The central modern idea, first introduced by Machiavelli (the founder of modernity in the Straussian narrative), is that mankind is fundamentally alone in the world with no one and nothing to be grateful to, and accordingly must seek freedom *from* God and nature *in* the assertion of rational control over politics, society, and even human nature (*for*... what?). Freedom was sought in the assertion of Reason (now opposed to God and nature) until Rousseau proved the historicity of human reason, thus shifting the domain of the modern project to History—we must make ourselves before we can remake our world. But the growing implausibility of the Hegel's and Marx's progressive theories of History, and finally Nietzsche's rebuke of historicism in favor of a human creativity that transcends history, has driven us back into the arms of nature (though not, it seems, of God). While referring to ancient philosophers only rather obliquely throughout the book, Mansfield ends with a quiet call to return to nature as the essential condition of human freedom rather than its enemy. This foundational principle of ancient philosophy could serve as the foundation of a "reworked liberalism" that makes room for virtue and spiritedness while maintaining the liberal concern for rights and material welfare.

[Chris Maska · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Making of Modernity

Broad in scope and nonetheless deep, the Rise and Fall of Rational Control is an invitation to consider the thinking that sought and seeks to make the world. One could simply read it and benefit from it, but to truly understand it requires reading the books it addresses. It is a version of lectures given to students who were assigned the books. Pay attention to the footnotes. Does the religious argument that convinces Lucrezia to cheat on her husband make sense? While Lot's daughters did something similar, does the Bible commend their deed? Read the story and note which tribes were the result of unions. This is small example of what may be missed by a quick reading.