Moses Dobruška: Politická a sociální filosofie středoevropského osvícenství
Moses Dobruška: A Political and Social Philosophy of Central European Enlightenment

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the political philosophy of Moses Dobruška (Junius Frey) through an analysis of his major work Philosophie sociale (1793). It argues that Dobruška developed an original normative political theory based on the concepts of principle, liberty, equality, natural law, and political legitimacy. Rejecting both absolutism and unrestricted popular sovereignty, he understood legitimate political authority as grounded in universal moral principles derived from reason and nature. The study further argues that Dobruška anticipated important ideas later associated with modern sociology and political philosophy. His work influenced the intellectual environment from which stimulated the early sociological thought of Henri de Saint-Simon and, subsequently, Auguste Comte, while also foreshadowing elements of liberalism, socialism, and republicanism. The article concludes that Dobruška represents a distinctive tradition of political and social philosophy of Central European Enlightenment and deserves a more prominent place in the history of modern political thought.

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