Reason, Social Myths And Democracy
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: No dust jacket - paperback. Page Condition: Good, previous owner
A landmark work in American political philosophy, Reason, Social Myths and Democracy presents a rigorous and impassioned defence of democratic values against the rising tide of totalitarian ideology in the mid-twentieth century. Sidney Hook, one of America's foremost pragmatist philosophers, argues with characteristic clarity and conviction that reason — not myth, dogma, or revolution — must serve as the foundation of a just and free society. Drawing on the traditions of John Dewey's pragmatism, Hook systematically dismantles the intellectual justifications used by both fascism and Stalinism to undermine liberal democracy, exposing the dangerous irrationalism at their core. Across a series of penetrating essays, he illustrates how social myths are deliberately constructed to manipulate public consciousness, and details the essential role of critical inquiry and free discourse in preserving democratic institutions. Authoritative, intellectually combative, and written with a polemical urgency that remains relevant today, this volume stands as a vital contribution to the literature of democratic theory.
Author: Sidney Hook
Format: Paperback
Published: 1966, Harper Torchbooks
Genre: Philosophy
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: No dust jacket - paperback. Page Condition: Good, previous owner
A landmark work in American political philosophy, Reason, Social Myths and Democracy presents a rigorous and impassioned defence of democratic values against the rising tide of totalitarian ideology in the mid-twentieth century. Sidney Hook, one of America's foremost pragmatist philosophers, argues with characteristic clarity and conviction that reason — not myth, dogma, or revolution — must serve as the foundation of a just and free society. Drawing on the traditions of John Dewey's pragmatism, Hook systematically dismantles the intellectual justifications used by both fascism and Stalinism to undermine liberal democracy, exposing the dangerous irrationalism at their core. Across a series of penetrating essays, he illustrates how social myths are deliberately constructed to manipulate public consciousness, and details the essential role of critical inquiry and free discourse in preserving democratic institutions. Authoritative, intellectually combative, and written with a polemical urgency that remains relevant today, this volume stands as a vital contribution to the literature of democratic theory.