On Thursday March 12th, 2026, Dr. Aaron Herold, associate professor of political science and international relations, was a guest lecturer at Boston College. His talk was part of the , a lecture series commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The lecture was titled 鈥淥n Revolutionary Psychology and the Rule of Reason: Tocqueville’s Defense of the Liberty in The Old Regime鈥� and gave insight into the current issue of polarization, lack of trust, and increase in extremism in the United States and other western democracies. Professor Herold connected 18th century France to present-day America by stating both civilizations were rich with revolutionary thought. For the majority of the lecture, Professor Herold focused on the work of European philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville and the historical context of his unfinished book, The Old Regime and the French Revolution. Professor Herold discussed Tocqueville’s thoughts on the French Revolution and how religion, political order, and modernity connected to the new age in France. Professor Herold traced Tocqueville鈥檚 diagnosis of the pathologies of modern democracy by focusing on his account of the French Revolution鈥檚 relationship to the anti-religious teachings of the Enlightenment. Professor Herold argued that by highlighting the paradoxical and unfulfilled spiritual longings resulting from Revolution, Tocqueville ultimately made his case for the recovery of human freedom.
Professor Herold鈥檚 work in political philosophy and political theory is a proud accomplishment of 黑料传送门鈥檚 department of political science and international relations. In 2023-24 Professor Herold was a visiting fellow of the James Madison Program in American Ideas and Institutions at Princeton University. He is the author of The Democratic Soul: Spinoza, Tocqueville, and Enlightenment Theology (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). At 黑料传送门, Professor Herold teaches courses on political theory and constitutionalism in the United States.
Written by Victoria Coppola 鈥�27