Philosophy & Public Policy

LikeJohn Dewey, his mentor and friend, Sidney Hook shares the classic concep­tion of philosophy as the pursuit of wis­dom. A philosopher is concerned ulti­mately with the conception of the good life in a good society. In these essays extending over many years, Hook illustrates the activity of the philosopher in the cave of social life. He brings to bear the tools of reflective analysis on dominant social and political issues: human rights; the role of personality and leadership in history; the attempt to defend freedom as we seek to preserve and extend the welfare state; and a criticism of the common premise of historical materialism shared by both Marxists and their opponents. Most significantly, Hook addresses the relation between morality and reli­gion and the place of religion in demo­cratic society. A secular and naturalistic humanism, he contends, generates an authentic, reliable commitment to thedemocratic faith.

About the Author :
Sidney Hook is Senior Research Fel­low at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace.

Review :
"At 78, Sidney Hook... ought to be seen for what he is: a natural resource, a kind of phil­osophical Mississippi."--Jeanne Wacker Sobran, National Review "Perhaps it is because his own critical writings have remained so firmly attached to the practical experience that Mr. Hook, always the pragmatist, has proven [in these twenty-one essays] to be a more reliable guide to the issues of our time than some of his more celebrated philosophical contemporaries."--Stefan Kanfer, Time "Throughout his extraordinary career, which spans more than half a century, Mr. Hook has addressed his fellow citizens on virtually every major issue of public concern. He continues to do so with undiminished clarity and conviction." --Carl Gershman, The Wall Street Journal "A towering moral figure in American in­tellectual life for half a century... because from the 1930s on, he has been one of the intellectual community's most courageous fighters in behalf of freedom. His kind of in­tellectual courage was and still is a rarity in the Academy."--Arnold Beichman, The American Spectator "The central theses of Philosophy and Public Policy prove throughout a career of combat, Sidney Hook's hackles and gorge have always risen to the occasion. Those who shrink from confrontation should stay clear of such reactive power. Only thinkers need apply. For them, as Alfred North Whitehead ob­served, 'a clash of Doctrines is not a disaster. It is an opportunity.'"--Stefan Kanfer, Time