Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and maps
- List of tables
- List of boxes
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- Part I St. Thomas Jefferson
- Part II Blacks and the pursuit of happiness
- Part III Yours for a better world
- Part IV A history of moral confusion
- Epilogue
- Appendix: tables with comments
- References
- Index of names
- Index of subjects
Epilogue
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and maps
- List of tables
- List of boxes
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- Part I St. Thomas Jefferson
- Part II Blacks and the pursuit of happiness
- Part III Yours for a better world
- Part IV A history of moral confusion
- Epilogue
- Appendix: tables with comments
- References
- Index of names
- Index of subjects
Summary
So why read Greek books? … Practically no one even tries to read them as they were once read – for the sake of finding out whether they are true.
(Bloom, 1987)They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks.
(Isaiah 2.4)If the body of a book does not appeal, no last words will save the day, so I will be brief. There is fertile ground for a revival of American idealism. The tension between the market and the good life and what ought to be done persists; indeed, it is more powerful than ever, given current corporate power and behavior. The issues are there: the transfer of resources from war to peace, the creation of a welfare state that will foster civic virtue, the creation of a commonwealth that will give everyone including black Americans access to what makes America a wonderful place to live, and the redemption of America's good name abroad. Despite all of the angst, the philosophical foundations of the Jeffersonian ideal are solid.
Leaders may be lacking but as Debs said, “I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I could lead you in, someone else could lead you out” (Ginger, 1962, p. 260). It is best that the people lead and that leaders follow, and it is the people I hope to convince. Before a final plea on behalf of my version of humane-egalitarian ideals, I want to issue another plea: read the best of those who disagree with me.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Where Have All the Liberals Gone?Race, Class, and Ideals in America, pp. 296 - 299Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008