Political Science - History, Liberalism & Conservatism
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Overview
The terms "left" and "right" have become ingrained in our minds -- in politics, economics, social theory, and in everyday life. But, as Hugh Graham argues in this fascinating book, these concepts have always distorted and limited the way we think about politics and ourselves -- and this is true today more than ever. Socialism versus capitalism, collectivism versus individualism, government programs versus the free market: all these oppositions add up to obsolete and constricting worldview.Could it be that left and right are religious ideas derived from sacred and profane heaven and hell? Graham explores the past, present, and future of left and right, focusing on the French Revolution and taking readers through the Industrial Revolution, communism and fascism, past the Cold War, and into our current puzzling state of affairs. And Graham offers powerful hope for a more mature, nuanced sense of community and individuality.
It is time, Graham says, to deconstruct our obsolete idea of "left" and "right" and create a new, less polarized politics, a politics of streets and people rather than of heaven and hell.
Book Details
Published
August 1, 2001
Publisher
Toronto : Stoddart, 2001.
Pages
400
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780773732858