Potter College News

This year, Dr. Michael Seidler published an edited collection of works by Samuel Pufendorf, a 17^th century natural law philosopher. Dr. Seidler began working on this volume in 1996. Over the past 29 years, Dr. Seidler has studied Pufendorf’s original texts at the British Library, the Berlin Library, and elsewhere. Some of the texts included in this volume have never been republished.

Pufendorf wrote in the natural law tradition, influencing and drawing influence from well-known thinkers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. One key point of Pufendorf’s philosophy is his exploration into the origins of societal norms. Dr. Seidler characterizes Pufendorf’s philosophy as less pessimistic in its view of human nature than Hobbes, while less religiously oriented than the work of John Locke. Although Pufendorf was a devout Christian, he sought to defend his moral and political philosophy on secular grounds, realizing and furthering the Enlightenment ideal of the separation of Church and State. His writings likely influenced the founding fathers of America, including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

Dr. Seidler’s publication sheds light on an overlooked yet influential philosopher. The Political Science Department congratulates Dr. Seidler on his contribution to the field!