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The Letters of Abelard and Heloise
by M. T. Clanchy Betty RadiceThe story of the relationship between Abelard and Heloise is told through the letters of Peter Abelard, a French philosopher and one of the greatest logicians of the twelfth century, and of his gifted pupil Heloise. Through their impassioned writings unfolds the story of a romance, from its reckless, ecstatic beginnings through to public scandal, an enforced marriage and its devastating consequences. They also offer insight into religious life in the Middle Ages. This is the revised edition of Betty Radice's translation, in which Michael Clanchy, the biographer of Abelard, updates the scholarship on the letters and the lovers. This volume includes Abelard's autobiography and his spiritual advice to Heloise and her nuns, as well as a selection of the 'lost love letters' of Abelard and Heloise, letters between Heloise and Peter the Venerable, two of Abelard's hymns, a chronology, notes and maps.
The Letters of Abelard and Heloise
by C. K. MoncrieffAbelard, a prominent twelfth-century theologian, is hired to tutor Heloise, a brilliant pupil who becomes his lover and the mother of his child. Although the two are secretly married, a misunderstanding leads to Abelard's castration by Heloise's uncle, followed by the lovers' permanent separation. Abelard retreats to a monastery and Heloise to a nunnery — and their subsequent correspondence captured the romantic imaginations of generations of readers. The letters offer insights into the thinking of Abelard, who ranks among the Middle Ages' foremost philosophers, and the spirited determination of Heloise, an early feminist. They have also excited ongoing controversy in terms of their historical content and significance. Translator C. K. Scott Moncrieff takes a modern approach to the correspondence, adding new significance to its reflection of medieval attitudes toward love, marriage, and religion.
The Letters of Martin Buber
by Martin Buber"No matter how brilliant it may be, the human intellect that wishes to keep to a plane above the events of the day is not really alive," wrote Martin Buber in 1932. The correspondence of Martin Buber reveals a personality passionately involved in all the cultural and political events of his day. Drawn from the three-volume German edition of his correspondence, this collection includes letters both to and from the leading personalities of his day--Albert Einstein and Albert Schweitzer, Hemann Hesse, Franz Kafka, and Stefan Zweig, Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, S.Y. Agnon, Gershom Scholem, and Franz Rosenzweig. These exchanges capture the dynamics of seven decades of lived history, reflected through the eyes of a man who was the conscience of his generation. One of the leading spiritual thinkers of the twentieth century, Buber is best known for his work of religious existentialism, I and Thou. A prime mover in the German-Jewish renaissance of the 1920s, he taught comparative religion and Jewish ethics at the University of Frankfurt. Fleeing the Nazis in 1938, Buber made his home in Jerusalem, where he taught social philosophy at the Hebrew University. As resident sage of Jerusalem, he developed an international reputation and following, and carried on a vigorous correspondence on social, political, and religious issues until the end of his life. Included in this collection are Buber's exchanges with many Americans in the latter part of his life: Will Herberg, Walter Kaufmann, Maurice Friedman, Malcolm Diamond, and other individuals who sought his advice and guidance. In the voices of these letters, a full-blooded portrait emerges of a towering intellect ever striving to live up to philosophy of social engagement.
The Letters of Sacco and Vanzetti
by Nicola Sacco Bartolomeo VanzettiCommemorating the eightieth anniversary of Sacco and Vanzetti's execution- with a new cover and new foreword Electrocuted in 1927 for the murder of two guards in Massachusetts, the Italian- American anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti defied the verdict against them, maintaining their innocence to the end. Whether they were guilty continues to be the subject of debate today. First published in 1928, Sacco and Vanzetti's letters represent one of the great personal documents of the twentieth century: a volume of primary source material as famous for the splendor of its impassioned prose as for the brilliant light it sheds on the characters of the two dedicated anarchists who became the focus of worldwide attention. .
The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England, 1640-1650
by John ReesThe gripping story of the Levellers, the radical movement at the heart of the English RevolutionThe Levellers, formed out of the explosive tumult of the 1640s and the battlefields of the Civil War, are central figures in the history of democracy. In this thrilling narrative, John Rees brings to life the men--including John Lilburne, Richard Overton and Thomas Rainsborough--and women who ensured victory and became an inspiration to republicans of many nations.From the raucous streets of London and the clattering printers' workshops that stoked the uprising, to the rank and file of the New Model Army and the furious Putney debates where the Levellers argued with Oliver Cromwell for the future of English democracy, this story reasserts the revolutionary nature of the 1642-51 wars and the role of ordinary people in this pivotal moment in history.In particular Rees places the Levellers at the centre of the debates of 1647 when the nation was gripped by the question of what to do with the defeated Charles I. Without the Levellers and Agitators' fortitude and well-organised opposition history may have avoided the regicide and missed its revolutionary moment. The legacy of the Levellers can be seen in the modern struggles for freedom and democracy across the world.
The Lib-Lab Pact: A Parliamentary Agreement, 1977-78
by Jonathan KirkupThe Lib-Lab Pact examines the only formal cross-party understanding at Westminster between 1945-2010. Through the use of archival sources and unique interviews with key participants, this study brings new insights into how an agreement, short of a full coalition, came about, how it was administered, and how it impacted on both political parties. Jonathan Kirkup investigates the particular turn of events in 1977 which led to a Pact between Prime Minister, James Callaghan, and Liberal Party leader, David Steel. A review of the negotiating process reveals, for the first time, that David Steel might have achieved more policy concessions, specifically on electoral reform. This volume explores the intra-party conflict which ensued in the Liberal Party, ultimately threatening the position of Steel as leader, as policy objectives were not realized. The legacy of the Pact is assessed, and how it influenced the strategy of the Liberal Party and Liberal Democrat politicians for the next thirty years.
The Liberal Heart of Europe: Essays in Memory of Alberto Giovannini
by Francesco Giavazzi Alberto Mingardi Francesco Lefebvre D’OvidioWas the European Union ever a liberal dream? How did the common market impact the liberalization in its member states? Has the EU fostered more or less economic freedom in the Old Continent? This book explores the intellectual and political genesis of the European Union, focusing especially on its relationship to classical liberalism. It explains how the new enthusiasm for liberalization associated with Reagan and Thatcher helped revive the European project in the 1980s, while providing some insights on the current challenges Europe is facing as a result of the financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. The contributors highlight the role of liberal, pro-market ideas played in shaping the EU, the single market and the euro, and how these should be coming into play again if the European project is to be reanimated. This volume originates from a conference the Italian think tank Istituto Bruno Leoni hosted in 2019 and is dedicated to Alberto Giovannini (1955-2019). Giovannini was an influential macroeconomist and financial economist. His vast legacy of studies and ideas prompted this book in his honor, on the occasion of his untimely passing away.
The Liberal International Theory Tradition in Europe (Trends in European IR Theory)
by Knud Erik JørgensenThis book examines how the liberal international theory tradition evolved in Europe. It includes nine chapters focusing on both historical and contemporary branches of liberal IR theorizing. The combined portrait of the prominent IR theory orientation shows a long and rich theoretical tradition but also a tradition that the scholarly community rarely fully recognize. It is currently somewhat challenged and therefore in need of further advances. Concerning the historical branches, the authors present a truly European tradition that thus was not only present in a few countries. The contributors introduce examples of liberal theorizing that IR scholars tend to dismiss and they trace the boundaries between the liberal and other theoretical traditions. Given the prominence of the tradition, the book is surprisingly among the first to present a transnational perspective on the development of the liberal international theory tradition in Europe.
The Liberal Internet in the Postliberal Era: Digital Sovereignty, Private Government, and Practices of Neutralization
by Johannes ThumfartThis book begins with an examination of the internet as a central institution of the post-Cold War liberal order. From this starting point, Johannes Thumfart analyzes the contemporary rise of digital sovereignty in Asia and Europe, alongside the establishment of private government within digital networks. He interprets these phenomena as indications of an emerging postliberal era. Thumfart engages with a wide array of empirical research and assesses liberal ideals such as state and net neutrality by discussing thinkers like Hegel, Schmitt, Mouffe, Taylor, Sandel, Fukuyama, Anderson, and Jasanoff, as well as network and rational choice theories. He contends that the internet's reification of liberal values has, paradoxically, subverted these values and catalyzed the transition to postliberalism. Thumfart suggests that instead of adhering to the traditional liberal focus on neutrality, states should adopt a more flexible approach of neutralization to respond to the complexities of this digital and postliberal era.
The Liberal Mind in a Conservative Party: Intellectuals and the Liberal Party of Australia
by Geoffrey RobinsonRobinson analyses the peculiarly Australian intellectual tradition of liberal conservatism within the mainstream centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Conservative intellectuals in Australia have forged a pragmatic, sceptical and utilitarian liberal conservatism focused on the tasks of government. It remains distant both from the romantic and organicist ideas of the populist right and the simplicities of libertarianism.Focusing on key figures within this tradition, Robinson tracks the progress of Australian liberal conservatism over the years through its origins in the work of David Hume to the thoughts of Peter Coleman, David Kemp and Andrew Norton before moving forward to George Brandis and Gregory Melleuish. The Liberal Party of Australia has appealed successfully to the conservative sentiments of voters in a liberal society. The Liberal Mind in a Conservative Party tells the story of seven intellectuals who helped make this possible. Peter Coleman drew on John Anderson, Georges Sorel and Michael Oakeshott to champion neoconservatism. He argues that this potent political ideology has shaped a distinct political identity, which rejects conservative traditionalism, and libertarian economics, while defending a pragmatic approach to capitalism.A fascinating read for students and scholars of Australian politics, this book will also be of great value to readers with an interest in international centre-right politics.
The Liberal Politics of John Locke (Routledge Library Editions: 17th Century Philosophy)
by M. SeligerOriginally published in 1968. This book presents the synthesis of a coherent view of the Lockeian argument from his various works. This tests the inner consistency of Locke’s political theory against his own examples from history. The layers of Locke’s argumentation are analysed on metaphysics in the first part, his attitude towards historical precedents in the second, and in the third with the nature of the regime which he was ready to endorse. This provides the guidelines for a comprehensive reassessment of the liberal tradition, as well as an evaluation of what is still vital to it.
The Liberal State and the Politics of Virtue
by Ludvig BeckmanAt the start of the new millennium there has been a growing awareness that traditional political institutions and ideologies do not correspond to the demands and aspirations held by many individuals and groups. Ideals and interests previously without much impact on the political debate have gained access to the public arena. These new claims include demands for recognition of homosexuals and their rights, affirmation of the particularities of indigenous peoples, sensitivity to the cultures and languages of immigrants, respect for children and their needs, solidarity with people of the developing countries and their fight for independence, care for nature, animals, attention to the social status of women, and so on. As a consequence, many governments now regulate and support many different conceptions of the good life and its virtues.In this volume, schematically divided into two parts, Ludvig Beckman challenges the common view that support for the good life, the politics of virtue, is in conflict with liberal principles. In clear, analytical language he addresses the question of what a state should do. Chapter 1 attempts to specify the meaning of "liberalism"; chapter 2 discusses the meaning of tolerance and makes more specific the notion of "virtue"; chapters 3 and 4 assess ethical and political liberalism as exemplified by the writings of Ronald Dworkin and John Rawls. In part two, chapter 5 discusses the clash between norms of justice and conceptions of virtue in the family; chapter 6 explores the meaning of the idea of an ethically neutral state; chapter 7 explores three different arguments for the neutral state as found in the work of Ronald Dworkin; chapter 8 presents an analysis of the idea of the neutral state with the theory of John Rawls put under scrutiny; chapter 9 explains why the attempt to justify the neutral state by referring to modified skepticism fails and proposes a distinction between being skeptical and being critical.Participating in the current debate on communitarianism, The Liberal State and the Politics of Virtue will be particularly interesting to people engaged in the public debate on ethics, morality and the state. It will also be of interest to teachers and researchers in the fields of politics and philosophy.
The Liberal Tradition in America: The Classic on the Causes and Effects of Liberal Thought in the U.S.
by Louis HartzThis &“brilliantly written&” look at the original meaning of the liberal philosophy has become a classic of political science (American Historical Review). Winner of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award As the word &“liberal&” has been misused and its meaning diluted in recent decades, this study of American political thought since the Revolution is a valuable look at the &“liberal tradition&” that has been central to US history. Louis Hartz, who taught government at Harvard, shows how individual liberty, equality, and capitalism have been the values at the root of liberalism—and offers enlightening historical context that reminds us of America&’s unique place and important role in the world. &“Lively and thought-provoking . . . Fascinating reading.&” —The Review of Politics Includes an introduction by Tom Wicker
The Liberal Way of War: Killing to Make Life Live
by Julian Reid Michael DillonThe liberal way of war and the liberal way of rule are correlated; this book traces that correlation to liberalism's original commitment to 'making life live'. Committed to making life live, liberalism is committed to waging war on behalf of life, specifically to promote the biopolitical life of species being; what the book calls 'the biohuman'. Tracking the advent of the age of life-as-information - complex, adaptive and emergent - while contrasting biopolitics with geopolitics, the book details how and why the liberal way of rule wages war on the human in the cause of instituting the biohuman. Contingent and emergent, the biohuman is however continuously also becoming-dangerous to itself. It therefore requires constant surveillance to anticipate the threats it presents to its own flourishing. The book explains how, in making life live, liberal rule finds its expression, today, in making the biohuman live the emergency of its emergence. Thus does liberal peace become the continuation of war by other means. Just as the information and molecular revolutions have combined to transform liberal military-strategic thinking so also has it contributed to the discourse of global danger through which global liberal governance currently legitimates the liberal way of war.
The Liberalism of Care: Community, Philosophy, & Ethics
by Shawn C. FraistatAttention to care in modern society has fallen out of view as an ethos of personal responsibility, free markets, and individualism has taken hold. The Liberalism of Care argues that contemporary liberalism is suffering from a crisis of care, manifest in a decaying sense of collective political responsibility for citizens’ well-being and for the most vulnerable members of our communities. Political scientist Shawn C. Fraistat argues that we have lost the political language of care, which, prior the nineteenth century, was commonly used to express these dimensions of political life. To recover that language, Fraistat turns to three prominent philosophers—Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and William Godwin—who illuminate the varied ways caring language and caring values have structured core debates in the history of Western political thought about the proper role of government, as well as the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The Liberalism of Care presents a distinctive vision for our liberal politics where political communities and citizens can utilize the ethic and practices of care to face practical challenges.
The Liberation Debate: Rights at Issue
by Michael Leahy Dan Cohn-SherbokThis well-documented collection challenges the reader to examine and judge the arguments in six areas of contemporary unrest: women's liberation, black liberation, gay liberation, children's liberation, animal liberation and liberation in the Third World. It refrains from taking a single point of view, thus allowing the reader to gain an insight into the various aspects of the debate. Designed both for students and a general audience, The Liberation Debate encourages readers to become active participants in fraught and topical debates.
The Liberation of Life through Death: Reading Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”
by Jason HoultThis book undertakes to show how the exercise of reading Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” involves articulating for ourselves, as readers, what it means to liberate life through death. What Tolstoy’s short story shows us, the author argues, is that life can be truly liberated through death only when we see that death is neither a supernatural event nor a natural end but involves a work of love. In Part 1 of his study, the author addresses the common assumptions that give rise to the idea that religious and secular views of life and death are opposed in modernity. He also examines the history of values that Tolstoy’s story embodies. In Part 2, he analyses the life and death of Ivan Ilyich in order to show that the values that are embedded in Tolstoy’s story are at once religious and secular.
The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom
by David BoazAn updated edition of David Boaz&’s timeless primer on libertarianism, with a new preface by the author. Libertarianism—the philosophy of personal and economic freedom—has deep roots in Western civilization and in American history, with increasing appeal to those dissatisfied with the status quo. The growth of executive power, chronic deficits, counterproductive foreign military interventions, protectionist trade measures, a costly drug war, and many other threats to civil liberties have pushed millions of Americans in a libertarian direction. The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history and philosophy of this movement. This updated edition delves into the principles of libertarianism, exploring its roots and its development over time. It offers a rich collection of ideas that present a compelling case for individual liberty and mutual cooperation. Challenging the notion of top-down governmental control, the book advocates instead for a society built on freedom and individual rights. But The Libertarian Mind is more than just a book; it&’s a manifesto for freedom. It&’s a call to action for those who believe in the sovereignty and fundamental dignity of the individual and the importance of political freedom.
The Libertarian Reader
by David BoazThe first collection of seminal writings on a movement that is rapidly changing the face of American politics, The Libertarian Reader links some of the most fertile minds of our time to a centuries-old commitment to freedom, self-determination, and opposition to intrusive government. A movement that today counts among its supporters Steve Forbes, Nat Hentoff, and P.J. O'Rourke, libertarianism joins a continuous thread of political reason running throughout history. Writing in 1995 about the large numbers of Americans who say they'd welcome a third party, David Broder of The Washington Post commented, "The distinguishing characteristic of these potential independent voters-aside from their disillusionment with Washington politicians of both parties-is their libertarian streak. They are skeptical of the Democrats because they identify them with big government. They are wary of the Republicans because of the growing influence within the GOP of the religious right." In The Libertarian Reader, David Boaz has gathered the writers and works that represent the building blocks of libertarianism. These individuals have spoken out for the basic freedoms that have made possible the flowering of spiritual, moral, and economic life. For all independent thinkers, this unique sourcebook will stand as a classic reference for years to come, and a reminder that libertarianism is one of our oldest and most venerable American traditions.
The Libertarian Reader
by David Boaz"The most magnificent collection of libertarian writings ever published" (Laissez Faire Books).An important collection of seminal writings on a movement that is rapidly changing the face of American politics, The Libertarian Reader links some of the most fertile minds of our time to a centuries-old commitment to freedom, self-determination, and opposition to intrusive government. This is the first comprehensive anthology of libertarian thought--from the Bible and Lao-Tzu to Hayek and Milton Friedman--to be published in one volume. The 68 selections from great libertarian writers are an intellectual feast, covering such key libertarian themes as skepticism about power, individual rights, spontaneous order, free markets, and peace. For all independent thinkers, this unique sourcebook will stand as a classic reference for years to come, and a reminder that libertarianism is one of our oldest and most venerable American traditions.
The Libertarian Reader
by David BoazThe first collection of seminal writings on a movement that is rapidly changing the face of American politics, The Libertarian Reader links some of the most fertile minds of our time to a centuries-old commitment to freedom, self-determination, and opposition to intrusive government. A movement that today counts among its supporters Steve Forbes, Nat Hentoff, and P.J. O'Rourke, libertarianism joins a continuous thread of political reason running throughout history.Writing in 1995 about the large numbers of Americans who say they'd welcome a third party, David Broder of The Washington Post commented, "The distinguishing characteristic of these potential independent voters-aside from their disillusionment with Washington politicians of both parties-is their libertarian streak. They are skeptical of the Democrats because they identify them with big government. They are wary of the Republicans because of the growing influence within the GOP of the religious right."In The Libertarian Reader, David Boaz has gathered the writers and works that represent the building blocks of libertarianism. These individuals have spoken out for the basic freedoms that have made possible the flowering of spiritual, moral, and economic life. For all independent thinkers, this unique sourcebook will stand as a classic reference for years to come, and a reminder that libertarianism is one of our oldest and most venerable American traditions.
The Liberty of Servants: Berlusconi's Italy
by Maurizio ViroliA compelling look at how a people can be unfree even though they are not oppressedItaly is a country of free political institutions, yet it has become a nation of servile courtesans, with Silvio Berlusconi as their prince. This is the controversial argument that Italian political philosopher and noted Machiavelli biographer Maurizio Viroli puts forward in The Liberty of Servants. Drawing upon the classical republican conception of liberty, Viroli shows that a people can be unfree even though they are not oppressed. This condition of unfreedom arises as a consequence of being subject to the arbitrary or enormous power of men like Berlusconi, who presides over Italy with his control of government and the media, immense wealth, and infamous lack of self-restraint.Challenging our most cherished notions about liberty, Viroli argues that even if a power like Berlusconi's has been established in the most legitimate manner and people are not denied their basic rights, the mere existence of such power makes those subject to it unfree. Most Italians, following the lead of their elites, lack the minimal moral qualities of free people, such as respect for the Constitution, the willingness to obey laws, and the readiness to discharge civic duties. As Viroli demonstrates, they exhibit instead the characteristics of servility, including flattery, blind devotion to powerful men, an inclination to lie, obsession with appearances, imitation, buffoonery, acquiescence, and docility. Accompanying these traits is a marked arrogance that is apparent among not only politicians but also ordinary citizens.
The Lichen Museum (Art After Nature)
by Laurie A. PalmerA radical proposal for how a tiny organism can transform our understanding of human relations Serving as both a guide and companion publication to the conceptual art project of the same name, The Lichen Museum explores how the physiological characteristics of lichens provide a valuable template for reimagining human relations in an age of ecological and social precarity. Channeling between the personal, the scientific, the philosophical, and the poetic, A. Laurie Palmer employs a cross-disciplinary framework that artfully mirrors the collective relations of lichens, imploring us to envision alternative ways of living based on interdependence rather than individualism and competition.Lichens are composite organisms made up of a fungus and an alga or cyanobacteria thriving in a mutually beneficial relationship. The Lichen Museum looks to these complex organisms, remarkable for their symbiosis, diversity, longevity, and adaptability, as models for relations rooted in collaboration and nonhierarchical structures. In their resistance to fast-paced growth and commodification, lichens also offer possibilities for humans to reconfigure their relationship to time and attention outside of the accelerated pace of capitalist accumulation.Drawing together a diverse set of voices, including personal encounters with lichenologists and lichens themselves, Palmer both imagines and embodies a radical new approach to human interconnection. Using this tiny organism as an emblem through which to navigate environmental and social concerns, this work narrows the gap between the human and natural worlds, emphasizing the notion of mutual dependence as a necessary means of survival and prosperity.
The Lies That Bind: Creed, Country, Color, Class, Culture
by Kwame Anthony AppiahFrom the best-selling author of Cosmopolitanism comes this revealing exploration of how the collective identities that shape our polarized world are riddled with contradiction. Who do you think you are? That’s a question bound up in another: What do you think you are? Gender. Religion. Race. Nationality. Class. Culture. Such affiliations give contours to our sense of self, and shape our polarized world. Yet the collective identities they spawn are riddled with contradictions, and cratered with falsehoods. Kwame Anthony Appiah’s The Lies That Bind is an incandescent exploration of the nature and history of the identities that define us. It challenges our assumptions about how identities work. We all know there are conflicts between identities, but Appiah shows how identities are created by conflict. Religion, he demonstrates, gains power because it isn’t primarily about belief. Our everyday notions of race are the detritus of discarded nineteenth-century science. Our cherished concept of the sovereign nation—of self-rule—is incoherent and unstable. Class systems can become entrenched by efforts to reform them. Even the very idea of Western culture is a shimmering mirage. From Anton Wilhelm Amo, the eighteenth-century African child who miraculously became an eminent European philosopher before retiring back to Africa, to Italo Svevo, the literary marvel who changed citizenship without leaving home, to Appiah’s own father, Joseph, an anticolonial firebrand who was ready to give his life for a nation that did not yet exist, Appiah interweaves keen-edged argument with vibrant narratives to expose the myths behind our collective identities. These “mistaken identities,” Appiah explains, can fuel some of our worst atrocities—from chattel slavery to genocide. And yet, he argues that social identities aren’t something we can simply do away with. They can usher in moral progress and bring significance to our lives by connecting the small scale of our daily existence with larger movements, causes, and concerns. Elaborating a bold and clarifying new theory of identity, The Lies That Bind is a ringing philosophical statement for the anxious, conflict-ridden twenty-first century. This book will transform the way we think about who—and what—“we” are.
The Life Fantastic: Myth, History, Pop and Folklore in the Making of Western Culture
by Noa MenhaimExplore the sprawling network of culture to discover the incredible ways in which ideas connect to shape the world we see today.These mind-blowing essays dig down to the roots of stories, myths and literary genres, travelling from art to politics to history to folklore, and from high to popular culture and back again. Through an intricate web of sidenotes, embark on a voyage of discovery from the unluckiest book ever made to Viking horned helmets to the sex life of vampires …. or from mermaids frolicking in the margins to the ancient Amazons to the power of Amazon and on to Utopia and Atlantis … This is western culture as you&’ve never seen it before.