Ideas in Action

Imagine a world in which means and ends, theory and practice, ideals, values, and interests, are torturously disassociated and yet manifestly linked. That is the world of the 20th century as Stephen Eric Bronner vividly portrays it in his important new work. Now imagine a world in which new traditions mix with the old, creativity blends with commitment, and values from the past combine with bold visions of the future. Creating this new fusion, says Professor Bronner, is the challenge for the 21st century and it inspires Ideas in Action. Contemporary political theory has become alienated from politics. It often neither discusses concrete political events nor touches the world of political action. That is an intellectual luxury the academy of the 21st century can ill-afford, and Ideas in Action offers an accessible way out of the box into which the canon of political theory and philosophy has been stuffed. With elegance and power, Bronner surveys 20th century political traditions. In the process, he places theories and thinkers in their social, historical, and political contexts. His sweeping presentation is organized into four imaginatively articulated phases that signal the direction of political thinking in the twentieth century. Offering distinctive interpretations and criticisms, presenting a new internationalist perspective, Bronner imbues the text with original voices and primary sources from the very canon he is reconfiguring. Careful notes of citation and explanation provide a pedagogical subtext that serves as a running bibliographic essay. All this and more makes <Ideas in Action the perfect core or supplemental text for courses not only in political science, but philosophy, sociology, history, and cultural studies as well. Ideas in Actionis a book for thinking people seeking to understand the past and shape the next millennium in terms of a new planetary outlook and a cosmopolitan sensibility. Students will enjoy reading the text, flock to the primary sources, and engage their class discussions with new knowledge and a new spirit. Professors will find a refreshing and original way to teach familiar material and assuredly use the text as a foil for arguments and debates on all sides of many issues.