American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword
by Seymour Martin Lipset
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"American values are quite complex," writes Seymour Martin Lipset, "particularly because of paradoxes within our culture that permit pernicious and beneficial social phenomena to arise simultaneously from the same basic beliefs."Born out of revolution, the United States has always considered itself an exceptional country of citizens unified by an allegiance to a common set of ideals, individualism, anti-statism, populism, and egalitarianism. This ideology, Professor Lipset observes, defines show more the limits of political debate in the United States and shapes our society.American Exceptionalism explains why socialism has never taken hold in the United States, why Americans are resistant to absolute quotas as a way to integrate blacks and other minorities, and why American religion and foreign policy have a moralistic, crusading streak. show lessTags
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Good comparative study of the intellectual, historical and philosophical underpinning of U.S. society as seen through the lens of American ideas of U.S. exceptionalism or difference. Comparison with Japanese cultural attitudes is particularly useful. Generally well-written, though plagued by clumsy passages at times. A good source book, a good general intro to the subject.
Perhaps especially interesting for brief sections that explore the thinking of some advisors and public figures, like Richard Perleman, who later (well after the 1997 publication of this book) turned out to play important roles in defining the foreign policy of the G.W. Bush administration, particularly in respect to the war in Iraq.
Perhaps especially interesting for brief sections that explore the thinking of some advisors and public figures, like Richard Perleman, who later (well after the 1997 publication of this book) turned out to play important roles in defining the foreign policy of the G.W. Bush administration, particularly in respect to the war in Iraq.
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68+ Works 1,236 Members
Seymour Martin Lipset: March 18, 1922 - December 31, 2006 American political theorist and sociologist, Seymour Martin Lipset, was born in New York City on March 18, 1922, and educated at City College of New York and Columbia University. Lipset taught at a number of universities, including the University of Toronto, Columbia University, the show more University of California at Berkeley, Harvard University, and Stanford University. A senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, he was also a member of the International Society of Political Psychology, the American Political Science Association, and the American Academy of Science. Among Lipset's many works are "Political Man: The Social Bases of Politics" (1960), "Class, Status, and Power" (1953), and "Revolution and Counterrevolution" (1968). He also contributed articles to a number of magazines, including The New Republic, Encounter, and Commentary. Lipset has received a number of awards for his work, including the MacIver Award in 1962, the Gunnar Myrdal Prize in 1970, and the Townsend Harris Medal in 1971. Lipset died on December 31, 2006, as a result of complications following a stroke. He was 84. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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