Movements Books - Page 12

More: Utopia (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Thomas More

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A More perfect plan... 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Thomas More, executed by Henry VIII (one of his best friends) for treason, led an illustrious career of politics and letters. Under his friend the King, he served in many capacities - Speaker of the House of Commons, Master of Requests, Privy Councillor, etc. - culminating with the trust of the position of Lord Chancellor, a position in those days matching the prominence (if not the definition) of Prime Minister in these days. More's strong integrity and resolute mind caught the attention of scholars, political and church leaders internationally; it was this same integrity that most likely was his undoing, refusing to assent to the King's divorce and severance of ties binding the English Church with the Roman overlordship of the Pope. Indeed, More was, if not the actual ghostwriter, then certainly an inspiration and editorial aide to the document produced by King Henry VIII against the continental protestants, earning for Henry (and his heirs ever after) the title of Defender of the Faith (historical irony is that this title, most likely not intended to be hereditary, now declares the defense of a faith separated from the one for which the title was bestowed).

While an Ambassador to Flanders, More spent spare time writing this book, 'Utopia'. The very title is a still a by-word in the English language (as well as others) of a state of bliss and peace; it is often used with the context of being unrealistic. 'Utopia' is More's response to and development from Plato's 'Republic', in that it is a framework for a perfect society, or at least perfect according to More's ideas of the time. Penned originally in Latin, 'Utopia' has been translated widely; one of the better translations is by H.V.S. Ogden, in 1949, still reprinted in various editions to this day. Originally published in Latin in 1516, the first English version appeared in 1551, some 16 years after More's death.

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Utopia
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Thomas More writes this as if he were traveling, and meets his friend Peter Giles, who introduces him to Raphael Hythloday, a scholar/traveler with tales to tell.

Hythloday made friends with a prince who outfitted him for a journey. He traveled through deserts and fertile lands. He proceeds to give an account to Giles and More. In an ironic twist, given More's own attachment to Henry VIII, Hythloday states that he doesn't give his information in advice of kings or princes, for to be beholden to them is not a wise thing. He quotes Plato, in saying that unless kings were themselves philosophers, they should never appreciate philosophers.

More argues for public service, which Hythloday rejects as something that other place-seekers will use to bolster their own positions. Then Hythloday makes the startling pronouncement with regard to how a society should be constituted: 'As long as there is property, and while money is the standard of all things, I cannot think that a nation can be governed either justly or happily; not justly, because the best things will fall to the share of the worst men; nor happily, because all things will be divided among a few (and even these are not in all respects happy), the rest being left to the absolutely miserable.'

Hythloday proceeds to give an account of the life of Utopia, where, he says, there are so few laws and so much liberty and equality that virtue is always rewarded, and each person has what he or she needs. He talks about this under the following headings:

Of Their Towns, Particularly of Amaurot
Of Their Magistrates
Of Their Trades, and Manner of Life
Of Their Traffic
Of the Travelling of the Utopians
Of Their Slaves, and of Their Marriages
Of Their Military Discipline
Of the Religions of the Utopians

'Utopia' is a radical document. It anticipates the modern idea of communism, with private property at a minimum; it is generations ahead in the idea of equality of the sexes and freedom of religion. This may seem a remarkable statement from someone who will go to his death supporting the Roman hierarchy, but in historical irony, had religious freedom been respected in England at the time, More would have had nothing to fear.

'Utopia' was a place of education and free inquiry. Again, More's own life models this - travelers from as far away as Constantinople and Venice, visiting More's home in Chelsea, remarked on the incredible sense of knowledge and respect for reason and learning, not just for the men, but also for the women of the household (More's own daughter once impressed Henry VIII with her Latin training so much he was at pains to find something at which he excelled that he could best her at).

At different points throughout the text, More (speaking through Hythloday) jabs in witty and insightful manner the habits of the day - that kings are often more concerned to fill their own coffers than increasing the general wealth of the nation; that courts are designed to be self-serving and self-perpetuating; that liberties are curtailed not for just and reasonable causes, but often for petty personal reasons.

Some of the ideas, however, are not as modern or enlightened as they might seem at first glance. Utopians' freedom of religion exists only in very narrow bounds of reason - they are all monotheists, and while they might identify this deity with the sun or moon or a good person who died long ago, they are not permitted to speak or attempt to convert others to this idea, without risking bondage or death. Not too Utopian after all...

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More was beatified by Leo XIII in 1886 and canonised by Pius XI in 1935 (it is significant to note that Anglican-Roman relations were at a strained point during these times, and the raising of an English saint who rejected the Anglican construct served at least minor political points, something More would have been able to appreciate, if not approve). The official feast day is July 9.

Editorial Review:

This revision incorporates the many refinements to the translation of Utopia undertaken in 1995. George Logan has also updated the editorial commentary and introduction to take into account the scholarship published since the first Cambridge Texts edition of Utopia appeared in 1989. This edition is the most accessible and student-friendly version of Utopia currently available.

Becoming National: A Reader

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Editorial Review:

A collection of readings on nationalism, each of which is introduced by a brief historical essay and fully annotated, this anthology strives to take the discussion beyond the classical argumentation and shift the focus to recent intellectual developments in the field. The editors, who are among the foremost authorities on the subject, have not overlooked familiar theorists like Fichte, Mazzini and Herder, but their emphasis is on recent thinkers, with Max Weber, Eric Hobsbawm, Paul Gilroy, Miroslav Hroch, Ernest Gellner, and David Held in the forefront.

Ethnic Conflict: A Global Perspective

Stefan Wolff

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Editorial Review:

Why is it that Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland have been in perpetual conflict for thirty years when they can live and prosper together elsewhere? Why was there a bloody civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina when Croats, Serbs, and Muslims had lived peacefully side-by-side for decades? Why did nobody see and act upon the early warning signs of genocide in Rwanda that eventually killed close to a million people in a matter of weeks? What is it that makes Kashmir potentially worth a nuclear war between India and Pakistan?
In Ethnic Conflict, Stefan Wolff draws upon eye witness testimonies, reports by Human Rights organizations, theories of conflict and conflict management, and his own long experience in working to resolve ethnic conflict to offer compelling answers to these questions. In recent years hardly a day has gone by when ethnic conflict in some part of the world has not made headline news. The violence involved in these conflicts continues to destabilize entire regions, hamper social and economic development, and cause unimaginable human suffering. Wolff goes beyond superficial media coverage of these crises to illuminate the broad similarities between ethnic conflicts around the world and to engage the fundamental question underlying them all: why do nationalism and ethnicity still have such terrible power to turn neighbor against neighbor? Wolff also explores the crucial-and growing-links between ethnic conflict and other security challenges, such as terrorism and organized crime.
No issue is more pressing in the world today than the ongoing and seemingly intractable tragedy of ethnic conflict. Stefan Wolff's new book sheds vitally important new light on both the causes and the potential solutions to one of humanity's darkest behaviors.

Black Nationalism: The Search for an Identity

E. U. Essien-Udom

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Editorial Review:

One of the first studies of the organization, life and meaning of the Nation of Islam and, by extension, all Black Nationalist movements, this classic work dispels the still common conception that the movement functioned primarily for political purposes. By observing the daily life of its members, Essien-Udom demonstrates that the Nation of Islam served primarily as a means for poor urban blacks to attain a national identity, a sense of ethnic consciousness, and empowerment in a society that denied them these privileges. Black Nationalism continues to hold profound implications for our understanding of the appeal of Black Nationalism as an ideology and a political force.

"An excellent standard treatment of black nationalist belief and practice in the 50's."—Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times Book Review

"This is an absorbing exercise in first class reporting. . . . In the light of his scrupulous fairness, the book is another illustration of how the press prejudges a story. And most provocatively, Essien-Udom has emphasized that even after the current campaigns for wide-scale integration are won, there will be an even wider chasm between the 'liberated' Negro middle class and the rootless Negro poor."—Nat Hentoff,Commonweal

A Threat from Within: A History of Jewish Opposition to Zionism

Yakov M. Rabkin

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Foundational book about Judiasm and the state 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 34 people found this review helpful.

This is a groundbreaking book, as an american jew, I strongly resent my religious and cultural heritage being co-opted by zionism. This book precisely lays out what is exactly at stake ---- the very heart of a jewish identity. The typical tribalist zionist is most threatened by such an analysis because this book deals in-depth, with the dirty secret of zionism, its profound antipathy toward the core jewish traditions. I have read many great and not-so-great books on the middle east, but this book is different, it places the whole zionist program in a very different light, only partially discussed in other writings, such as Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel by Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi. Any too easy dismissal of this truly important book can only be considered fatuous, at best. Perhaps the most important concept to consider is that Rabkin thinks that jews have persisted over time because of values that transcend the state, nations come and go, Israel is a crude attempt to subvert this and to artificially establish a jewish state in a place and way that goes against almost all jewish values. Indeed, Rabkin asks what is the thing now that makes Israel a jewish state? Is it religion, a lifestyle, a history, a culture, etc. He answers in the negative, the thing holding it together as a state is a common place nationalist quest, not unlike any other on the planet, nothing special here and an effort doomed to ultimate failure. The last time something like this was tried, the Jewish presence in Palestine was essentially destroyed by the Romans.
Do buy this book, religious or not, zionist or not, if you are intellectually open minded, this could be a watershed for you.

Editorial Review:

There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in. These words by the poet Leonard Cohen could aptly describe this book, which takes history as a witness to the exceptional nature of Zionism in Jewish history. It explains many points of discord between the political ideology of Zionism and what most people consider Judaism. It also shows how Jewish traditional conscience offers a hope for the solution of the Middle East crisis. The conflicts in Israel/Palestine acquire a different meaning when seen in the context of Jewish opposition to Zionism. This book has attracted Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike who find this story inspiring in today’s world of mobile identities.

These Honored Dead: How The Story Of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory

Thomas A. Desjardin

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Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Separating Fact From Fiction 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

My first thought was "Oh no! Another book about the Battle of Gettysburg." As a resident of the bustling tourist town and frequent battlefield "stomper" I decided to give it a go.
From Thomas Desjardin's introduction, to the very end, he dispells many of the myths about the Battle of Gettysburg, many myths that are still told today. Desjardin reveals how history and memory often conflict and how many of the battlefield legends came to be. A refreshing look at a much written about topic!

Editorial Review:

Ever since the guns of Gettysburg fell silent, and Lincoln delivered his famous two-minute speech four months after the battle, the story of this three-day conflict has become an American legend. We remember Gettysburg as, perhaps, the biggest, bloodiest, and most important battle ever fought-the defining conflict in American history. But how much truth is behind the legend? In These Honored Dead, Thomas A. Desjardin, a prominent Civil War historian and a perceptive cultural observer, demonstrates how flawed our knowledge of this enormous event has become, and why. He examines how Americans, for seven score years, have shaped, used, altered, and sanctified our national memory, fashioning the story of Gettysburg as a reflection of, and testimony to, our culture and our nation.

Fourier: The Theory of the Four Movements (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Charles Fourier

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...And The Sea Will Turn Into A Tastey Beverage... 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.

is this a classic text that will be of particular intrest to scholars of the history of utopian socialism and feminism and political thought in general? probably. is charles fourier one of the most complex, mind boggling, idiosyncratic thinkers and writers of all time? i think so. what is particularly intresting to me about this book though? here it is: the idea that civilization is an abomination responsible for the decrepit state of our planet and that fourier had single handedly discovered the process by which we will be able to bring the universe into harmony through a social revolution that will align the planets and turn the ocean into a tastey beverage and will create an aurora that will attach itself to the north pole that will raise the temperature of the northern lattitudes enough to make them comfortable to humans and also that any animals that dont help humans will be replaced by anti versions of these animals such as the anti-shark that will catch fish for us and anti-hippopotomi that will pull our boats around for us and anti-lions (sevral times larger than normal lions) that will be capable of carrying several passangers at a time to where ever they want to go at increadibly high speeds. all this was conceived in the late 1700's. truly amazing. the stuff about his social structure ideas is very interesting too whether you are interested in social theory or not.

Editorial Review:

This remarkable book, written soon after the French Revolution, has traditionally been considered one of the founding documents in the history of socialism. It introduces the best known and most extraordinary Utopia written in the past two centuries. Charles Fourier was among the first to formulate a right to a minimum standard of life. His radical approach involved a systematic critique of work, marriage and patriarchy, together with a parallel right to a "sexual minimum."

Nationalism in Iran

Richard W Cottam

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England: An Elegy

Roger Scruton

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Dear Old England 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Those that lament the passing of some of the very best qualities that made England a great country will find solace in Roger Scruton's wonderfully written book. Of course nothing stays the same, though sometimes we might wish it to. I think that readers who are English and who were born around the middle of the twentieth century will find this book particularly poignant, and, in some ways, incredibly sad.

Editorial Review:

In this poignant and personal tribute Roger Scruton gives an account of England which is both an illuminating analysis of its institutions and culture, and a celebration of its virtues.  Covering all aspects of the English inheritance, and informed by a unique philosophical vision, England: An Elegy shows that there is such a country as England, that it has a distinct personality and endows its residents with a distinct moral ideal.

Island Stories: Unravelling Britain: Theatres of Memory

Raphael Samuel

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Editorial Review:

A luminous sequel to the highly acclaimed first volume of Theatres of Memory. Island Stories is and engrossing journey of discovery into the multiple meanings of national myths, their anchorage in daily life and their common sense of a people's destiny. Raphael Samuel reveals the palimpsest of British National Histories, offering a searching yet affectionate account of the heroes and villains, legends and foibles, cherished by the "four nations" that inhabit the British Isles. Raphael Samuel is interested by the fact that traditions can disappear no less abruptly than they were invented. How is it, her asks, that the Scots have lost interest in a British narrative of which they were once a central protagonist? Why is the celebration of "Britons" thriving today just as its object has become problematic? Island Stories marvelously conveys the mutability of national conceits. Samuel calls as witness a galaxy of authorities -- Bede and Gerald of Barri, Macaulay and Stubbs, Shakespeare and Dickens, Lord Reith and Raymond Williams, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn -- each of whom sought to renew the sense of national identity be means of an acute sense of the past. Island Stories is a luminous study of the way nations use their past to lend meaning to the present and future. This sequel to the widely acclaimed Theatres of Memory is as passionate, unexpected and enjoyable as its predecessor.