Drift and Mastery (Spectrum Book: Classics in History Series) - Softcover

Lippmann, Walter; Leuchtenburg, William E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0299106047 ISBN 13: 9780299106041

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press, 1986

Synopsis

Drift and Mastery, originally published in 1914, is one of the most important and influential documents of the Progressive Movement, a valuable text for understanding the political thought of early twentieth-century America. This paperback edition of Walter Lippmann's classic work includes a revised introduction by William E. Leuchtenburg that places the book in its historical and political contexts.
In his first book, A Preface to Politics, Lippmann was sharply critical of traditionalism in favor of creativity—so much so that he was accused of anti-intellectualism. In Drift and Mastery, he corrected this imbalance, exploring the tensions between expansion and consolidation, traditionalism an progressivism, emotion and rationality. He wrote to convince readers that they could balance these tensions: they could be organized, efficient, and functional without sacrificing impulse, choice, fantasy, or liberty. Mastery is attainable, Lippmann argued, but scientific endeavor is driven by human curiosity and creativity—an argument in favor of science as both a method as both a method for discovering the truth and a means of wish fulfillment through diligent attention to facts.
Drift and Mastery is both a telling product of its times and a lucid exploration of timeless themes in American government and politics. It will continue to serve new generations of scholars and students in American intellectual history, mass communications, and political science.

About this title

About the Author

The Good Society is the tenth in a series of books written by Walter Lippmann reissued by Transaction with new introductions and in a paperback format. As with other major figures of the twentieth century such as Thorstein Veblen, Peter Drucker, Margaret Mead, and Richard Hoggart, these are classic books with contemporary perspectives. Gary Dean Best, author of the introduction to this volume, is emeritus professor of history at the University of Hawaii, whose most recent books, a study of British political historian Harold J. Laski and of American economic reformers of the New Deal Era, are being published by Transaction.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Publication date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0299106047
• ISBN 13: 9780299106041
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192