Benjamin Steiner, LMU Munich. "State and Knowledge," Lecture Course in Early Modern History

Lecture course held in Spring Semester 2013 at LMU Munich and in Spring Semester 2014 at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

The emergence of complex systems of rule in Europe is a signature of the early modern era. Both monarchical and republican forms of government have undergone differentiation since the 16th century, which was primarily due to the function of new media and the availability of knowledge. In addition to the theoretical justifications that governments received in the early modern period, for example from famous thinkers such as Machiavelli, Bodin or Hobbes, the practices of ruling are also considered. Governing was made easier by techniques of knowledge, such as lists, memoranda or preliminary forms of statistics, which became more and more the everyday business of state leaders. Nevertheless, early modern forms of rule continued to have a religious aspect, such as kings who ruled by the grace of God. However, this was pushed back more and more in the course of the 18th century. In view of today's discussions about the legitimacy of state power, the lectures show what factors played a role in the formation of the modern state in the early modern period, which of them have survived to the present and which have been forgotten.

Attached the original German Syllabus with many details and a list of readings.