Un brav'uomo è difficile da trovare. L’antropologia del realismo cristiano in Reinhold Niebuhr

Christian realism is an approach to reality, explicitly built upon Christian anthropology, that seeks to offer a non-perfectionist and anti-utopian conception of both domestic and international politics, without, however, falling into complacent nihilism or veiled cynicism. This essay aims to present a critical analysis of Niebuhr’s anthropological conception, relating it to his primary source of inspiration: the thought of Saint Augustine. Indeed, the Protestant theologian’s main contribution to the study of twentieth-century politics lies in the rediscovery of the work of the Bishop of Hippo. The goal is to show how Christian realism represents an approach to reality that enables Niebuhr—just as it did the Saint of Thagaste—to overcome the dangers of “gnosticism” and “Pelagianism” in modern politics, against the backdrop of an eschatological hope.