Description
This paper is a sketchy attempt to discuss the relevance of eschatology for world politics through the history of the ideas that have shaped twentieth century political eschatologies. The paper explores the relationship between the apocalyptic imaginary that came to mean and point to a more dualistic, otherworldly, catastrophe-oriented version of eschatology and a more engaged, this-worldly, messianic vision of eschatological thinking that engages the problem of historical action in a nihilist era. Apocalyptic narratives, such as Gnosticism and its revival in twentieth century polemics, are important in this story and their influence will be duly discussed. Finally, the recent revival of Pauline thought among contemporary post-Marxists will also be addressed as an example of the return of eschatological thinking in secular or atheist philosophical and political theory circles reflecting the power of a theological discourse that is far from irrelevant in our so-called secular age. Indeed, eschatological thinking emerges as a narrative structure that reveals important things about the nature of our engagement with the world as historical beings and political actors.
