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Walter Lippmann The Method of Freedom New York: Macmillan, 1934 First Edition. Hardcover with Dustjacket First Edition, First Printing. Considered provocative and controversial at the time, THE METHOD OF FREEDOM marked a major shift for Lippmann to address the essence of democracy and liberty from an economic perspective. Under popular rule the assumption is that the government should be governed by popular opinion. But the compensatory method of control, as we have seen, requires that the State shall act, almost continually, contrary to the prevailing opinion in the economic world (Lippmann, 1934, p. 74). Published during the worst depression in modern history and the rise of dictatorships in Europe and Asia that challenged the essentials of free government, Lippmann explored the virtues of free collectivism over the absolute collectivism of the authoritarian state. After the banking crisis of 1929 came the end of laissez-faire, which meant the end of liberalism and its strict separation between economy and politics. Lippmann stated this was a true revolution in political theory, as it established a new method of freedom If individuals are to continue to decide when they will buy and sell, spend and save, borrow and lend, expand and contract their enterprises, some kind of compensatory mechanism to redress their liability to error must be set up by public authority. It has become necessary to create collective power, to mobilize collective resources, and to work out technical procedures by means of which the modern State can balance, equalize, neutralize, offset, and correct the private judgments of masses of individuals. This is what I mean by a Compensated Economy and the method of Free Collectivism (Lippmann, 1934, pp. 50-51). The essential point of THE METHOD OF FREEDOM and its sequel, THE NEW IMPERATIVE (1935), is that the government should be responsible for the maintenance of the standard of living of its people. At first glance, this is diametrically opposed to the Lippmann in A PREFACE TO MORALS (1929), and even of PUBLIC OPINION (1922) and THE PHANTOM PUBLIC (1925), however, Lippmann retains certain characteristics of humility amidst his new optimism. Fundamentally, he claims that human liberty should extend as far as possible, and that the state is the servant and not the master of the people. First edition, first printing hardcover in dustjacket. Red boards with gilt titles; spine dulled; light foxing to upper page block; scratch to front and back cover; toned along gutters; interior text clean with no writing or previous owner marks. Unclipped dj with $1.50 price intact; chips to upper edge with short closed tears; light staining front cover and spot on back; spine dulled with edgewear to head and foot. Seller Inventory # ABE-1698352964581
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