The challenges of ideal theory and appeal of secular apocalyptic thought

Abstract

Why do thinkers hostile or agnostic toward Christianity find in its apocalyptic doctrines—often seen as bizarre—appealing tools for interpreting politics? This article tackles that puzzle. First, it clarifies the concept of secular apocalyptic thought and its relation to Christianity. I propose that, to avoid imprecision, the study of secular apocalyptic thought should focus on cases where religious apocalyptic thought's influence on secular thinkers is clear because they explicitly reference such thought and its appeal (e.g. Engels's fascination with Christian apocalyptic thought). Second, it argues that the political appeal of apocalyptic thought—and, specifically, what I term cataclysmic apocalyptic thought (CAT)—partly lies in offering resources to navigate persistent challenges in ideal theory. The ideal theorist faces competing goals: formulating an ideal that is utopian and feasible. One potential approach to this challenge is CAT, which embraces a utopian ideal and declares it feasible through identifying crisis as the vehicle to realize it.

Apocalypticism as Radical Realism? On the Dangers and Benefits of Wishful Thinking in Prefigurative Politics

“…McQueen (2018: 26) acknowledges that ‘there is some disagreement among biblical scholars about the content of the apocalyptic worldview’. However, she takes there to be a consensus around several important features (McQueen, 2018: 26–27, 56–59), as does Jones (2020: 467–469). Since few if any of these features fit what I shall describe as present-oriented apocalypticism, I will not try to posit any set of features of apocalyptic literature for which there is a scholarly consensus.…”

“…Second, the old order is characterised by some kind of evil. ‘The apocalyptic mindset’, as Jones (2020: 467) puts it, ‘sees societal institutions and values as morally bankrupt and in need of radical change’. Since both Daniel and Revelation are written during periods of imperial occupation, it is to be expected that they view their respective imperial rulers – the Seleucids and Rome – as corrupt and wicked.…”

“…Second, Ben Jones (2020) examines various ways in which secular political theorists have tried to make use of apocalypticism. He argues that it offers one valuable lesson for the political theorist who worries that her ideals might not be feasible: in a time of crisis, the impossible can become possible.…”

“…Apocalypticism uses crises to bridge the gap between ideal theory and feasibility constraints. It anticipates the realisation of ‘the most perfect society imaginable’ (Jones, 2020: 475) and claims that crisis holds the key to its realisation: ‘a coming crisis will open a path connecting the present to utopia’ (Jones, 2020: 482).…”

Climate Collapse, Judgment Day, and the Temporal Sublime

“…Alongside the spectacular destruction of the current world, this narrative structure "prophecies (directly or implicitly) a new world order," and Judgment Day marks the passage into this new age, which is therefore also a new time (154, citing Brummett 1984). To clarify the role of this moment of crisis as a temporal hinge, as the turning point between "our" time and a time to come, we draw on the work of political theorist Ben Jones (2017), who examines the appeal of Christian apocalyptic thinking for secular political theorists. Jones focuses on the strand of Christian thinking that he terms "cataclysmic apocalyptic thought," exemplified by the Book of Revelation among other texts, that "identifies crisis as the path to the ideal society" (2).…”