American Inquisitors is one of the small gems among Walter
Lippmann's larger books. Written in response to the trials of John
Scopes and William McAndrew in 1925 and 1927, this volume contains
a succinct analysis of a basic problem of democracy: the conflict
between intellectual freedom and majority rule. In both cases, the
state, acting in the name of popular sovereignty, sought to
suppress teaching that was contrary to the tenets of religious
fundamentalism and patriotic tradition. In distilling the arguments
surrounding both trials, Lippmann sounds a warning against the
tyranny of the majority and challenges people to rethink their
theories of liberty and democracy.
"American Inquisitors "consists of five related dialogues, each
exploring a different dilemma at the heart of democratic political
theory. The first two establish the principles of majority rule and
freedom of the mind in the persons of William Jennings Bryan and
Thomas Jefferson, with Socrates urging a reexamination of all
principles..These dialogues debate the will and the rational
capacity of the people to rule and demonstrate the relative nature
of freedom in democratic society.
The third and fourth dialogues set a fundamentalist against a
modernist and an Americanist against a scholar. Lippmann resists
easy stereotyping and puts challenging insights and plausible
arguments into the mouths of all the parties. These dialogues ask
whether commitment to community comes before intellectual inquiry,
'or whether the search for truth precedes identity. The final
dialogue, between Socrates and a conscientious teacher, attempts to
define the mission of teaching and determine when and how to face
the consequences of truth. Lippmann concludes that the program of
liberty is to deprive the sovereign of absolute and arbitrary rule.
Taken as a whole, the dialogues constitute an essential consistency
within Lippmann's political thought, and delineate a recurring
problem hi American politcal culture. "American Inquisitors "will
be of special interest to political scientists, historians,
sociologists, and American studies specialists.
General
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