John P. Diggins
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A look at the life and work of pioneering social scientist Max Weber. Diggins connects the critical moments of Weber's life--in particular, his experience of America--to his ideas on power, capitalism, bureaucracy, and science. He argues that Weber's emphasis on such topics as rapaciousness, hypocrisy, and deception illuminate the dilemmas of modern American politics.
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For much of our century, pragmatism has enjoyed a charmed life, holding the dominant point of view in American politics, law, education, and social thought in general. After suffering a brief eclipse in the post-World War II period, pragmatism has enjoyed a revival, especially in literary theory and such areas as poststructuralism and deconstruction. In this sweeping critique of pragmatism and neopragmatism, one of our leading intellectual historians...
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"Following his departure from office, Ronald Reagan was marginalized thanks to liberal biases that dominate the teaching of American history, says John Patrick Diggins. Yet Reagan, like Lincoln (who was also attacked for decades after his death), deserves to be regarded as one of our three or four greatest presidents. Reagan was far more active a president and far more sophisticated than we ever knew. His negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev and his...
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"John Patrick Diggins offers a reassessment of American history, emphasizing the foundational role of Abraham Lincoln's moral and political theory. Distressed by the divisive impact of modern identity politics, Diggins argues persuasively that in the central tenets of Lincoln's political faith - the redeeming value of labor and the rights to property and self-determination - we find the purest expression of the values that have united Americans and...
9) John Adams
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Profiles John Adams as an ideal successor to Washington, citing the qualities of his character and Federalist policies that enabled him to address the challenges that took place during his presidency.