Modern Liberty and Its Discontents - by Pierre Manent (Paperback)

About the Book

In this book, distinguished French philosopher Pierre Manent addresses a wide range of subjects, including the Machiavellian origins of modernity, Tocqueville's analysis of democracy, the political role of Christianity, the nature of totalitarianism, and the future of the nation-state. As a whole, the book constitutes a meditation on the nature of modern freedom and the permanent discontents which accompany it. Modern Liberty and its Discontents is both an important contribution to an understanding of modern society, and a significant contribution to political philosophy in its own right.

Book Synopsis

In this book, distinguished French philosopher Pierre Manent addresses a wide range of subjects, including the Machiavellian origins of modernity, Tocqueville's analysis of democracy, the political role of Christianity, the nature of totalitarianism, and the future of the nation-state. As a whole, the book constitutes a meditation on the nature of modern freedom and the permanent discontents which accompany it. Manent is particularly concerned with the effects of modern democracy on the maintenance and sustenance of substantial human ties. Modern Liberty and its Discontents is both an important contribution to an understanding of modern society, and a significant contribution to political philosophy in its own right.

Review Quotes

"Manent masterfully decsrcibes the depth of the revolution and its future direction." --Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa, First Things

"This is a welcome collection of essays by France's leading Straussian, Pierre Manent. It features a helpful introduction by one of the co-editors, Daniel J. Mahoney, that lays out quite clearly Manent's intellectual debt to Raymond Aron and Leo Strauss." --Ronald Beiner, University of Toronto, Canadian Journal of Political Science

"The volume covers a wide range of subjects in fifteen essays, felicitously translated from the French by its editors, Daniel J. Mahoney and Paul Seaton. The political reflection found in these essays offers a refreshing alternative to much of today's slef-satisfied liberal theory." --Marc D. Guerra, Assumption College, Perspectives on Political Science

"The distinguished French philosopher Pierre Manent writes of Democratic man in these brilliant essays. He sees Democratic man as modern man, man in history-the man who struggles against his nature, against himself. Manent's perspective on this problematic being is penetrating, captivating, and-need I say it?-always French. Amazingly, it is also full of good sense." --Harvey C. Mansfield, Harvard University

"The volume covers a wide range of subjects in fifteen essays, felicitously translated from the French by its editors, Daniel J. Mahoney and Paul Seaton.

The political reflection found in these essays offers a refreshing alternative to much of today's slef-satisfied liberal theory." --Marc D. Guerra, Assumption College, Perspectives on Political Science

About the Author

Pierre Manent is director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris. He is the author of many books, including An Intellectual History of Liberalism (Princeton), Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy (Rowman & Littlefield, 1996), and The City of Man (Princeton).

Daniel Mahoney is associate professor of politics at Assumption College, and the author of The Liberal Political Science of Raymond Aron (Rowman & Littlefield, 1992) and DeGaulle: Statesmanship, Grandeur, and Modern Democracy (Praeger).

Paul Seaton is university fellow at Fordham University.