This new collection by Walter Laqueur, one of the most
distinguished historians and political commentators of the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries, vividly brings to life his
perspective on fifty years of political life. The essays in this
volume deal with events ranging from more than seventy years ago to
some that have not yet happened, but may in years to come. Laqueur
divides his writings into five main areas: optimism in politics,
the topic that unites this volume; Europe; the Arab Spring; Israel
and Jewish affairs; and recollections of the past.
This volume addresses an increasingly important question: How
much optimism do we need in politics? Some neuroscientists believe
that many of our assessments rest on an excess of optimism
amounting to a dangerous bias. Another school of cognitive
scientists sees the main danger in being influenced too much by
negative conclusions. Although these competing perspectives have
been only rarely investigated, Laqueur argues that such
psychological factors play a decisive role in the assessment of
political trends, and they should.
Laqueur also reminds readers that there is a connection between
writing history and commenting on current affairs, but it is not
remotely as close and simple as often thought. The idea that the
historian is somehow better qualified than others to interpret the
present, let alone predict the future, is certainly not borne out
by the evidence. Some great historians have been good and reliable
political commentators, others have been miserable failures.
Laqueur definitely falls in the former camp, as these reflections
attest.
General
Imprint: |
AldineTransaction
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2014 |
First published: |
March 2014 |
Authors: |
Walter Laqueur
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
274 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4128-5266-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4128-5266-8 |
Barcode: |
9781412852661 |
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