"Liberalism" is widely used to describe a variety of social and
political ideas, but has been an especially difficult concept for
historians and political scientists to define. Burckhardt, Mill,
and Tocqueville define one type of liberal thought. They share an
aristocratic liberalism marked by distaste for the masses and the
middle class, opposition to the commercial spirit, fear and
contempt of mediocrity, and suspicion of the centralized state.
Their fears are combined with an elevated ideal of human
personality, an ideal which affirms modernity. All see their ideals
threatened in the immediate future, and all hope to save European
civilization from barbarism and militarism through some form of
education, although all grow more pessimistic towards the end of
their lives.
Aristocratic Liberalism ignores the national boundaries that so
often confine the history of political thought, and uses the
perspective thus gained to establish a pan-European type of
political thought. Going beyond Burckhardt, Mill, and Tocqueville,
Aristocratic Liberalism argues for new ways of looking at
nineteenth-century liberalism. It corrects many prevalent
misconceptions about liberalism, and suggests new paths for
arriving at a better understanding of the leading form of
nineteenth-century political thought. The new Afterword by the
author presents a novel description of liberal political language
as the "discourse of capacity," and suggests that this kind of
language is the common denominator of all forms of European
liberalism in the nineteenth century. Aristocratic Liberalism will
be valuable to students of history, political science, sociology,
and political philosophy.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
