The Rhetoric of Reaction — Albert O. Hirschman - Harvard ...

The Rhetoric of Reaction is a delightful handbook for all discussions of public affairs, the welfare state, and the history of social, economic, ... RefineYourSearch­/­SearchOurSite About&Contact Subjects&Series Catalogs eBooks News Order Rights Permissions SupportthePress Cart:[0] Resourcesfor: Authors Booksellers&Librarians Educators Journalists Readers TheRhetoricofReactionPerversity,Futility,Jeopardy AlbertO.Hirschman AddtoCart ProductDetails PAPERBACK $33.00•£26.95•€29.50 ISBN9780674768680 PublicationDate:03/01/1991Short 224pages5-1/2x8-1/4inchesBelknapPressWorld RelatedSubjects POLITICALSCIENCE:General AboutThisBookAbouttheAuthor(s)ReviewsTableofContents Withengagingwitandsubtleirony,AlbertHirschmanmapsthediffuseandtreacherousworldofreactionaryrhetoricinwhichconservativepublicfigures,thinkers,andpolemicistshavebeenarguingagainstprogressiveagendasandreformsforthepasttwohundredyears. HirschmandrawshisexamplesfromthreesuccessivewavesofreactivethoughtthataroseinresponsetotheliberalideasoftheFrenchRevolutionandtheDeclarationoftheRightsofMan,todemocratizationandthedrivetowarduniversalsuffrageinthenineteenthcentury,andtothewelfarestateinourowncentury.Ineachcaseheidentifiesthreeprincipalargumentsinvariablyused:(1)theperversitythesis,wherebyanyactiontoimprovesomefeatureofthepolitical,social,oreconomicorderisallegedtoresultintheexactoppositeofwhatwasintended;(2)thefutilitythesis,whichpredictsthatattemptsatsocialtransformationwillproducenoeffectswhatever—willsimplybeincapableofmakingadentinthestatusquo;(3)thejeopardythesis,holdingthatthecostoftheproposedreformisunacceptablebecauseitwillendangerprevioushard-wonaccomplishments.HeillustratesthesepropositionsbycitingwritersacrossthecenturiesfromAlexisdeTocquevilletoGeorgeStigler,HerbertSpencertoJayForrester,EdmundBurketoCharlesMurray.Finally,inalightningturnabout,heshowsthatprogressivesarefrequentlyapttoemploycloselyrelatedrhetoricalpostures,whichareasbiasedastheirreactionarycounterparts.Forthosewhoaspiretothegenuinedialoguethatcharacterizesatrulydemocraticsociety,Hirschmanpointsoutthatbothtypesofrhetoricfunction,ineffect,ascontraptionsdesignedtomakedebateimpossible.Intheprocess,hisbookmakesanoriginalcontributiontodemocraticthought. TheRhetoricofReactionisadelightfulhandbookforalldiscussionsofpublicaffairs,thewelfarestate,andthehistoryofsocial,economic,andpoliticalthought,whetherconductedbyordinarycitizensoracademics. RelatedLinksAttheNewYorkReviewofBooksandTheAmericanProspect,readappreciationsofAlbertHirschman,whopassedawayin2012attheageof97 IntheNewYorker,readhowAlbertHirschman’s“rhetoricofintransigence”caninformthedebateovertheSupremeCourt’s2012decisionontheAffordableCareAct ReadtheNewYorkTimesobituaryforHirschman BuyElsewhere Bookshop.org » Amazon » Barnes&Noble » FindataLibrary »CiteThisBook » AboutHUPeBooks AboutExamCopies RecentNews AttheWashingtonPost,HealthyBuildingscoauthorJosephAllenprovidedtenvitalupdatestoourCOVIDplaybookfor2022. AttheLosAngelesTimes,JimDowns,authorofMaladiesofEmpire:HowSlavery,Imperialism,andWarTransformedMedicine,delvedintothehistoryofepidemiologythatmustinformpublicunderstandingofthecurrentpandemic. WhyDoWeStillHavetheElectoralCollege?authorAlexanderKeyssarspokewiththeHarvardGazetteaboutthedarklessonsfordemocracyoftheJanuary6,2021assaultontheU.S.Capitol. Blacklivesmatter.Blackvoicesmatter.AstatementfromHUP » FromOurBlog JohnRawls:SpeakinginaSharedPoliticalLanguage OntheoccasionoftheanniversaryofthepublicationofATheoryofJustice,AndriusGališanka,authorofJohnRawls:ThePathtoaTheoryofJustice,reflectsonsomeofRawls’sideasonmoralandpoliticalreasoning… SubscribetoE-News DumbartonOaksMedievalLibrary I TattiRenaissanceLibrary LoebClassicalLibrary MurtyClassicalLibraryofIndia About&Contact|Awards|Catalogs|ConferenceExhibits|eBooks|ExamCopies|News|Order|Rights|Permissions|Search|ShoppingCart|Subjects&Series Resourcesfor:Authors|Booksellers&Librarians|Educators|Journalists|Readers HarvardUniversityPressofficesarelocatedat79GardenStreet,Cambridge,MA02138USA&71QueenVictoriaStreet,LondonEC4V4BEUK ©2022PresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege|HUPPrivacyPolicy•HUAdditionalEEAPrivacyDisclosures AMessagefromHUPaboutCOVID-19(April2020)