A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles - Softcover

Sowell, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0465002056 ISBN 13: 9780465002054

Publisher: Basic Books, 2007

Synopsis

In this classic work, Thomas Sowell analyzes the two competing visions that shape our debates about the nature of reason, justice, equality, and power: the constrained" vision, which sees human nature as unchanging and selfish, and the unconstrained" vision, in which human nature is malleable and perfectible. He describes how these two radically opposed views have manifested themselves in the political controversies of the past two centuries, including such contemporary issues as welfare reform, social justice, and crime. Updated to include sweeping political changes since its first publication in 1987, this revised edition of A Conflict of Visions offers a convincing case that ethical and policy disputes circle around the disparity between both outlooks.

About this title

Review:

"Extraordinary on several counts...[Sowell] makes his case fairly, lucidly and persuasively."--The New York Times Book Review

"A classic of a very special kind...Reading [it] is like looking up at the night sky and discovering a new constellation."--Christian Science Monitor

"[A Conflict of Visions] is recommended herewith to anybody sufficiently interested in the American condition to try to get beneath the surface of partisanship, trendy issues and pop ideology to the philosophical foundations of the Republic."--Boston Globe

"[A] fine book ... Sowell's illuminating guide to the political conflicts of our age teaches the valuable lesson that political choices always involve costs."--Commentary

"An excellent condensation of two centuries of social thought."--Booklist

"A provocative analysis of the conflicting visions of human nature that have shaped the moral, legal and economic life of recent times."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

Thomas Sowell is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of dozens of books and the recipient of various awards, including the National Humanities Medal, Presented by the President of the United States in 2003.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0465002056
• ISBN 13: 9780465002054
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352