Background
Schmitt, Richard was born on May 5, 1927 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Son of Julius and Elisabeth Dorothea Schmitt. came to the United States, 1946, naturalized, 1952.
( This book steers a middle path between those who argue ...)
This book steers a middle path between those who argue that the theories of Marx and Engels have been rendered obsolete by historical events and those who reply that these theories emerge untouched from the political changes of the last ten years.Marxism has been a theory of historical change that claimed to be able to predict with considerable accuracy how existing institutions were going to change. Marxism has also been a political program designed to show how these inevitable changes could be hastened. Richard Schmitt argues that Marxian predictions are ambiguous and unreliable, adding that the political program is vitiated by serious ambiguities in the conceptions of class and of political and social transformations. Marxism remains of importance, however, because it is the major source of criticisms of capitalism and its associated social and political institutions. We must understand such criticisms if we are to understand our own world and live in it effectively. While very critical of the failures of Marx and Engels, this book offers a sympathetic account of their criticism of capitalism and their visions of a better world, mentions some interpretive controversies, and connects the questions raised by Marx and Engels to contemporary disputes to show continuity between social thought in the middle of the last century and today.Addressed to undergraduate students, the book is easily accessible. It will be important in introductory or middle-level courses in sociology, political theory, critical theory of literature or law. It will also be useful in graduate courses in political theory, sociology, and economics.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813332834/?tag=2022091-20
(Social and political philosophy, unlike other fields and ...)
Social and political philosophy, unlike other fields and disciplines, involves conflict, disagreement, deliberation, and action. This text takes a new approach and understands philosophy not so much as a story of great thinkers or as a collection of philosophical positions but as a series of debates and disagreements in which students must participate. Adopting what may be called an 'active learning' method, Richard Schmitt, who has long taught social and political philosophy in the Ivy Leagues as well at state colleges, presents a range of problems and debates which engage the core question of freedom. Too often, students are bewildered, and then bored, by highly abstract philosophical questions because they are unable to connect those abstract issues to their own life experiences. This text immediately connects issues and experiences, and provides integrated, on-going questions to spark dialogue, whether in class settings or in the reader's own mind, and to help students form strong arguments with good reasons for their positions. In the course of examining different current controversies, the book develops theories of democracy, equality, the state, property, autonomy, and the role of morality in politics, all of which are standard for courses in social and political philosophy.
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( Drawing from existentialism, feminism, the thought of K...)
Drawing from existentialism, feminism, the thought of Karl Marx and novelists like Dostoevsky, Richard Schmitt looks at modern capitalist societies to understand what it is that might be wrong for individuals. His concern focuses specifically on those who are alienated-- those persons who have difficulty finding meaning in their lives, who lack confidence in themselves and trust in others and, finally, who are constantly distracted by consumer society. He explores how and why alienation occurs. From friendship, love, and work, Alienation and Freedom touches on issues meaningful to us all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813328535/?tag=2022091-20
Schmitt, Richard was born on May 5, 1927 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Son of Julius and Elisabeth Dorothea Schmitt. came to the United States, 1946, naturalized, 1952.
Bachelor of Arts, University of Chicago, 1949; Master of Arts, University of Chicago, 1952; Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1956.
Instructor philosophy Yale University, 1956-1958. Member faculty Brown University, 1958—2001, professor philosophy, 1968—2001, emeritus professor philosophy, since 2001. Visiting professor Stanford University, 1966-1967, University California, Santa Barbara, 1971-1972, Miles College, summer 1964, University Massachusetts, Boston, 1974.
Adjunct professor Worcester State College, since 2001.
( This book steers a middle path between those who argue ...)
( Drawing from existentialism, feminism, the thought of K...)
(Social and political philosophy, unlike other fields and ...)
(Philosophy, Political Studies, Ethical Humanities)
(Book by Schmitt, Richard)
Member American Philosophical Association.