The Shape of the New

Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, History
Cover of the book The Shape of the New by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery ISBN: 9781400884254
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: September 20, 2016
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
ISBN: 9781400884254
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: September 20, 2016
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

This panoramic book tells the story of how revolutionary ideas from the Enlightenment about freedom, equality, evolution, and democracy have reverberated through modern history and shaped the world as we know it today.

A testament to the enduring power of ideas, The Shape of the New offers unforgettable portraits of Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx—heirs of the Enlightenment who embodied its highest ideals about progress—and shows how their thoughts, over time and in the hands of their followers and opponents, transformed the very nature of our beliefs, institutions, economies, and politics. Yet these ideas also hold contradictions. They have been used in the service of brutal systems such as slavery and colonialism, been appropriated and twisted by monsters like Stalin and Hitler, and provoked reactions against the Enlightenment's legacy by Islamic Salafists and the Christian Religious Right.

The Shape of the New argues that it is impossible to understand the ideological and political conflicts of our own time without familiarizing ourselves with the history and internal tensions of these world-changing ideas. With passion and conviction, it exhorts us to recognize the central importance of these ideas as historical forces and pillars of the Western humanistic tradition. It makes the case that to read the works of the great thinkers is to gain invaluable insights into the ideas that have shaped how we think and what we believe.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This panoramic book tells the story of how revolutionary ideas from the Enlightenment about freedom, equality, evolution, and democracy have reverberated through modern history and shaped the world as we know it today.

A testament to the enduring power of ideas, The Shape of the New offers unforgettable portraits of Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx—heirs of the Enlightenment who embodied its highest ideals about progress—and shows how their thoughts, over time and in the hands of their followers and opponents, transformed the very nature of our beliefs, institutions, economies, and politics. Yet these ideas also hold contradictions. They have been used in the service of brutal systems such as slavery and colonialism, been appropriated and twisted by monsters like Stalin and Hitler, and provoked reactions against the Enlightenment's legacy by Islamic Salafists and the Christian Religious Right.

The Shape of the New argues that it is impossible to understand the ideological and political conflicts of our own time without familiarizing ourselves with the history and internal tensions of these world-changing ideas. With passion and conviction, it exhorts us to recognize the central importance of these ideas as historical forces and pillars of the Western humanistic tradition. It makes the case that to read the works of the great thinkers is to gain invaluable insights into the ideas that have shaped how we think and what we believe.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Romantics at War by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book A Defense of Hume on Miracles by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book "They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else" by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book The Cosmic Cocktail by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Dangerous Sex, Invisible Labor by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book The First Modern Jew by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book The Collected Works of Spinoza, Volumes I and II by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Economics in Two Lessons by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book The Corruption Cure by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Women Don't Ask by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Facing Fear by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Happiness for All? by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Purposive Interpretation in Law by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
Cover of the book Scouting and Scoring by Daniel Chirot, Scott L. Montgomery
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy