A.L. Beier - Social Thought in England, 1480-1730

Authorities ranging from philosophers to politicians nowadays question the existence of concepts of society, whether in the present or the past. This book argues that social concepts most definitely existed in late medieval and early modern England, laying the foundations for modern models of society. The book analyzes social paradigms and how they changed in the period. A pervasive medieval model was the body social, which imagined a society of three estatesthe clergy, the nobility, and the commonaltyconjoined by interdependent functions, arranged in static hierarchies based upon birth, and rejecting wealth and championing poverty. Another model the book describes is social humanist, which fundamentally questioned the body social, advancing merit over birth, mobility over stasis, and wealth over poverty. The theory of the body social was vigorously articulated between the 1480s and the 1550s. Parts of the old metaphor actually survived beyond 1550, but alternative models of social humanist thought challenged the body concept in the period, advancing a novel paradigm of merit, mobility, and wealth. The books methodology focuses on the intellectual context of a variety of contemporary texts.

A.L. Beier is a Professor Emeritus at Illinois State University.

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Social Thought in England, 14801730: From Body Social to Worldly Wealth by A. L. Beier

A.L. Beier

First published 2016
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2016 A.L. Beier

Utter Strangers to Industry, Morality and Religion: John Locke on the Poor, originally published in Eighteenth Century Life, vol. 12:3, pps 2841. Copyright 1988. Republished in Chapter 17 by permission of the publisher and present rightsholder, Duke University Press.

The right of A.L. Beier to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beier, A. L., author.

Title: Social thought in England, 14801730 : from body social to worldly wealth / by A.L. Beier.

Description: New York : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Routledge research in early modern history | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015041765 (print) | LCCN 2015044931 (ebook) | ISBN 9781138956865 (hbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315665504 ()

Subjects: LCSH: Social problemsGreat BritainHistory. | Public welfareGreat BritainHistory. | SociologyGreat BritainHistory. | Great BritainSocial policyHistory.

Classification: LCC HN385 .B436 2016 (print) | LCC HN385 (ebook) | DDC 306.0941dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041765

ISBN: 978-1-138-95686-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-66550-4 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

Part I
The Body Social, 14801550

Part II
Social Humanist Challenges to the Body Social, 15161549

Part III
Society as Property, 15501697

A. Visual Representations of the Three Estates, c. 11401488.

B. Visual Representations of Country Houses, c. 1900.

Two pieces of professional experience shaped the writing of this book, one belonging to the world of research and another to that of pedagogy. Ultimately, these two worlds came together because of the marvelous opportunities afforded by a career in academe. As a researcher, this project arose from an ongoing interest in the history of the poor in early modern England, which began with a paper in Lawrence Stones seminar, developed into a Ph.D. dissertation, and culminated in publications, including a book on early modern English vagrants. Reflecting on this research today, I find I had witnessed a transformation in the history of social thinking, especially attitudes towards poverty, that extended to perceptions of the social order. This book is the product of the search for an explanation of this shift and of my efforts to teach the subject to students.