Intellectual History Commons^™

Pulse - A Consultation, Barry J. Mauer

Barry Mauer

On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We may never know or understand what was in Mateen’s mind, but we can situate his attack within the history of eliminationism in America. Islamist terrorism is just part of a larger phenomenon: right wing eliminationism. But despite centuries of right wing eliminationist words and deeds in the U.S., there is little or no mainstream recognition of the phenomenon. Instead, we are treated to more denial, more distraction, more obfuscation. Until we look this problem squarely in the face, it will …

The Barber Who Read History And Was Overwhelmed, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Postindustrial Societies, Brian Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

The term postindustrial society presupposes categorizing society based on an economic means of classification. Its use rests on assessing the relative status of manufacturing industry as an economic sector. Significant adjustment in sectoral location and nature of employment precipitated by late-twentieth-century deindustrialization in the developed world led many social theorists and critics to predict broad changes throughout domains of everyday life. Some began to speak not only of sectoral transformation but also of an emergent ‘ postindustrial society. ’ Following earlier agrarian and industrial ‘ revolutions, ’ postindustrialism suggested yet another revolution that would again transform how societies were organized.

Esmonde Higgins - Politics As Intellectual Practice, Terry Irving

Terence H Irving, Dr (Terry)

This chapter traces Esmonde Higgins' struggle to define his intellectual practice from 1919 to 1954, using his private correspondence and his published writings. It divides his reflections into three parts: alienation, practice, and contradictory aspects of practice.It describes his route from Communist bureaucratic practice to having conversations 'about human interests' with workers as equals in adult education classes and informal domestic gatherings.

Class Structure In Australian History - Poverty And Progress, Terry Irving, Raewyn Connell

Terence H Irving, Dr (Terry)

First published in 1980, this book is an updated and reorganized account of the history of the class structure in Australia. A new chapter discusses the period 1975-1991, and there is a new theoretical chapter introducing the reader to modern debates about class. Separate sections for documents and photographs support the narrative. Extensive notes provide a guide to research literature.

Epilogue: Some Sober Second Thoughts, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

The Road To Mass Democracy: Original Intent And The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

Until 1913 and passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, US senators were elected by state legislatures, not directly by the people. Progressive Era reformers urged this revision in answer to the corruption of state "machines" under the dominance of party bosses. They also believed that direct elections would make the Senate more responsive to popular concerns regarding the concentrations of business, capital, and labor that in the industrial era gave rise to a growing sense of individual voicelessness. Popular control over the higher affairs of government was thought to be possible, since the spread of information …

The Paradox Of Popular Sovereignty: An Introductory Essay, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

Kapitalizmus És Szocializmus Bibó István Gondolatrendszerében [István Bibó On Capitalism And Socialism], Péter Cserne

Péter Cserne

A synthetic overview of the political theorist István Bibó's (1911--1979) ideas on captalism and socialism (in Hungarian).

A People's History Of Baseball, Mitchell J. Nathanson

Mitchell J Nathanson

Baseball is much more than the national pastime. It has become an emblem of America itself. From its initial popularity in the mid-nineteenth century, the game has reflected national values and beliefs and promoted what it means to be an American. Stories abound that illustrate baseball's significance in eradicating racial barriers, bringing neighborhoods together, building civic pride, and creating on the field of play an instructive civics lesson for immigrants on the national character. In A People's History of Baseball, Mitchell Nathanson probes the less well-known but no less meaningful other side of baseball: episodes not involving equality, patriotism, heroism, …

Arendtian Action And The Camp: Understanding The Connection Between Totalitarianism And Politics, Corey Dethier

Corey Dethier

This paper argues for a reconceptualization of Arendt's concept of action based on her account of and experience with totalitarianism. Using Origins of Totalitarianism as a guide to what Arendt sees as the breakdown of a functioning society, it reconstructs her conception of politics found inThe Human Condition and On Revolution to show that what Arendt aims for is a form of government that can prevent the spread of totalitarianism and its characteristics. From this perspective, it argues that Arendt's concepts of politics and action are designed to create a public aware of its plurality and primarily concerned with protecting …

Diabolical Frivolity Of Neoliberal Fundamentalism, Sefik Tatlic

Sefik Tatlic

Today, we cannot talk just about plain control, but we must talk about the nature of the interaction of the one who is being controlled and the one who controls, an interaction where the one that is “controlled” is asking for more control over himself/herself while expecting to be compensated by a surplus of freedom to satisfy trivial needs and wishes. Such a liberty for the fulfillment of trivial needs is being declared as freedom. But this implies as well the freedom to choose not to be engaged in any kind of socially sensible or politically articulated struggle.

The Populist Chameleon: The People's Party, Huey Long, George Wallace, And The Populist Argumentative Frame, Michael J. Lee

Michael J Lee

This essay argues that a sustained form can be located in the complicated history of populist rhetoric. Despite its chameleonic qualities, the advancement of populism is constituted by alterations in the focus and content, not the structure, of populist activism. This structure, or what I term its argumentative frame, positions a virtuous people against a powerful enemy and expresses disdain toward traditional forms of democratic deliberation and republican representation. I trace these themes through the rhetoric of the People's Party, Huey Long, and George Wallace. I conclude by analyzing the link between populism's persistence in U.S. history and the nation's …

America The Virtuous: The Crisis Of Democracy And The Quest For Empire (2003), Christopher H. Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

Esmonde Higgins - Politics As Intellectual Practice, Terry Irving

Terry Irving

This chapter traces Esmonde Higgins' struggle to define his intellectual practice from 1919 to 1954, using his private correspondence and his published writings. It divides his reflections into three parts: alienation, practice, and contradictory aspects of practice.It describes his route from Communist bureaucratic practice to having conversations 'about human interests' with workers as equals in adult education classes and informal domestic gatherings.

The Futility Of Campaign Finance Reform: A Historical Perspective, Christopher H. Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

American Checks And Balances, A Brief Survey, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

Democratizing The Constitution: The Failure Of The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher H. Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

From The Corrupt Few To The Incompetent Many: Questionable Causes And Unintended Effects Of The Direct Election Of Senators, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

, August 31-September 3, 1995.

Childe And Australia - Archaeology, Politics And Ideas, Terry Irving, Peter Gathercole, Gregory Melleuish

Terry Irving

This book focuses particularly on Gordon Childe's Australian background and connections, while also linking his European and Australian experiences and various aspects of his work in prehistory, archaeology, history and politics. Included too are Childe's own letters and reminiscences of those who knew him, some published for the first time.

The Paradox Of Ideology, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

A standard problem with the objectivity of social scientific theory in particular is that it is either self-referential, in which case it seems to undermine itself as ideology, or self-excepting, which seem pragmatically self-refuting. Using the example of Marx and his theory of ideology, I show how self-referential theories that include themselves in their scope of explanation can be objective. Ideology may be roughly defined as belief distorted by class interest. I show how Marx thought that natural science was informed by class interest but not therefore necessarily ideology. Capitalists have an interest in understanding the natural world (to a …

Functional Explanation And Metaphysical Individualism, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

A number of (present or former) analytical Marxists, such as Jon Elster, have argued that functional explanation has almost no place in the social sciences. (Although the discussion is framed in terms of a debate among analytical Marxists, the point is quite general, and Marxism is used for illustrative purposes.) Functional explanation accounts for what is to be explained by reference to its function; thus, sighted organism have eyes because eyes enable them to see. Elster and other critics of functional explanation argue that this pattern of explanation is inconsistent with "methodological individualism," the idea, as they understand it, that …

Class Structure In Australian History - Poverty And Progress, Terry Irving, Raewyn Connell

Terry Irving

First published in 1980, this book is an updated and reorganized account of the history of the class structure in Australia. A new chapter discusses the period 1975-1991, and there is a new theoretical chapter introducing the reader to modern debates about class. Separate sections for documents and photographs support the narrative. Extensive notes provide a guide to research literature.

The New Left In Australia, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Paper presented as part of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA), 28th-30th August, 1969, University of Sydney. It is of historical interest, being an early exploration and evaluation of the Australian New Left by activist/participant/analyst Rowan Cahill (b. 1945- ). It predates more widely cited sources and authorities, and has been a difficult source to locate due to the limited nature of its original distribution.