The Public Philosophy

Rating:
Summary: At least he's honest!
Review: First, it's pretty obvious that Noam Chomsky has made a killing skewering Lippman. Second, Lippman is a snob who thinks that elitest jerks should control the country.

Besides that, he is pretty good reading for anyone who wants to know how things are run in America. The book is full of boring BS passing for history, but when Lippman kicks in accusing the public of being ill informed and stupid, he's at his best, or worst depending on how you see things.

He's pretty much in bed with Aristotle, so if you agree with that jerk, you'll love Lippman.

Rating:
Summary: At least he's honest!
Review: First, it's pretty obvious that Noam Chomsky has made a killing skewering Lippman. Second, Lippman is a snob who thinks that elitest jerks should control the country.

Besides that, he is pretty good reading for anyone who wants to know how things are run in America. The book is full of boring BS passing for history, but when Lippman kicks in accusing the public of being ill informed and stupid, he's at his best, or worst depending on how you see things.

He's pretty much in bed with Aristotle, so if you agree with that jerk, you'll love Lippman.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: Walter Lippmann is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. He is a brilliant man, and his work has contributed greatly to the modern American political landscape. It's sad to see this book going out of print. Few tomes grant such insight into the fundamental weaknesses of democratic nations. In an age where the United States is the undisputed military power, some have confused democracy with god. It seems democracy is a word thrown around carelessly as a cure all for the world's ills. The Public Philosophy stays true to the Founding Father's fears that a democratic majority is capable of being as oppressive as a monarch. I highly recommend this book to any serious student of political science.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: Walter Lippmann is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. He is a brilliant man, and his work has contributed greatly to the modern American political landscape. It's sad to see this book going out of print. Few tomes grant such insight into the fundamental weaknesses of democratic nations. In an age where the United States is the undisputed military power, some have confused democracy with god. It seems democracy is a word thrown around carelessly as a cure all for the world's ills. The Public Philosophy stays true to the Founding Father's fears that a democratic majority is capable of being as oppressive as a monarch. I highly recommend this book to any serious student of political science.

Rating:
Summary: Lippmann's The Public Philosophy: Still Relevant Today
Review: Walter Lippmann's The Public Philosophy is as relevant today as when it was written in 1955. His assertion that the traditions and customs of civility are in decline in both America and the West is only reinforced by the growing unreason and incivility of our age.

Lippmann's belief that a role for political philosophy(ers) is of vital importance if our free and democratic institutions are to be preserved is right on the mark. The Socratic pursuit of the "examined" life is more rare today than ever. And yet, for that reason, it is all the more important.

The Public Philosophy is a "classic" and serves as a reminder that the solutions to the problems of democracy are not found in further democratization.

E. Robert Statham, Jr., Ph.D.
University of Guam, U.S.A.