Scruton, though, casts his net much wider. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.Despite its subtitle, this book by the conservative philosopher Roger Scruton is not a history of the “New Left.” The original New Left was an intellectual and political tendency that emerged in Britain in the mid-1950s after the Soviet Union’s crushing of the uprising in Hungary, and then reappeared in a different guise in the US during the following decade. but his arguments against his foes are substantial and deep. His personal point of view could be called sentimental. His sympathies are with the virtues of the countryside and historically rooted associations of every sort, from churches and the US Constitution to volunteer fire departments, brass bands, and the local Grange. Scruton writes from the perspective of an old-school conservative. Even Galbraith and Dworkin take a few hits.

For Scruton the culprits are mainly from France and Germany-beginning with Sartre and carrying through to Foucault, Habermas, Althusser, Lacan, Deleuze, Gramsci, and Said-and he carries the attack forward to Badiou and Zizek. Here Scruton thoroughly and fairly debunks the ostentation, obfuscation, and terrible writing and downright deceitfulness of much of postwar Marxist-inspired philosophy. I enjoyed this immensely, both for Scruton's dry, British wit as well as for the sheer breadth of intellectuals covered in his survey ( Against the Grain Blog)

He neither ridicules nor abuses the writers he considers he patiently deconstructs them, first explaining their work in terms they themselves would recognize and then laying bare their warped assumptions and empty pretensions. Scruton considers scores of works in three languages, giving the reader an understanding of each thinker's overarching aim and his place within the multifaceted movement known as the New Left.

Scruton is at his best, (and funniest) when trying to make sense of Badiou's weird confection historical materialism and Platonic mathematical theory (Jonathan Derbyshire Prospect) Since he no longer has a university career to protect, Scruton can now tweak the nose of academic leftism to his heart's content. The book also addresses what is likely our most pressing question: 'Can there be any foundation for resistance to the leftist agenda without religious faith?' ( Catholic World Report) ( Kirkus Reviews)įrom the standpoint of a serious conservatism, it honestly assesses the political and philosophical contributions of the Left. complex and erudite ( Publisher's Weekly US)Ĭaustic, highly recherché, and simply great fun to read for the questing intellectual soul. Eminent British philosopher and polymath Scruton gives a sharp-edged, provocative critique of leading leftist thinkers since the mid-twentieth century.

Fools firebrands and frauds