Tag - Robert Nisbet

Books

The Quest for Community: a Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1953. The quest for community: a study in the ethics of order and freedom. New York: Oxford University Press.

Abstract: Part One: Community and the Problem of Order: 1 The Loss of Community One may paraphrase the famous words of Karl Marx and say that a specter is haunting the modern mind, the… More

Tradition and Revolt: Historical and Sociological Essays

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1968. Tradition and revolt: historical and sociological essays. New York, NY: Random House.

Review from Amazon.com: This classic volume deals with a crucial contemporary social issue: the conflict between traditionalism and modernism. Nisbet considers such subjects as power,… More

Social Change and History: Aspects of the Western Theory of Development

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1969. Social change and history: aspects of the Western theory of development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Preface: The primary purpose of this book is to set forth the essential sources and contests of the Western idea of social development. The book is in large part historical, in smaller part… More

The Social Bond: an Introduction to the Study of Society

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1970. The social bond: an introduction to the study of society. New York: Knopf.

Institutional access online(Limited search only): The social bond: an introduction to the study of society. Buy hardcopy on Amazon.com: The Social Bond: An Introduction to the Study of… More

The Degradation of the Academic Dogma: the University in America, 1945-1970

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1971. The degradation of the academic dogma: the university in America, 1945-1970. New York: Basic Books, Inc.

Preface: THIS BOOK IS a very considerable enlargement of the John Dewey Lecture I was privileged to deliver in Chicago, February 27, 1970, before the members and guests of the John Dewey… More

The Sociological Tradition

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1966. The sociological tradition. New York: Basic Books.

Review from Google Book: When first published, The Sociological Tradition had a profound and positive impact on sociology, providing a rich sense of intellectual background to a relatively… More

The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1973. The social philosophers: community and conflict in Western thought. New York: Crowell.

Institutional access online(Limited search only): The social philosophers: community and conflict in Western thought. Buy hardcopy on Amazon.com: The social philosophers: community and… More

The Sociology of Emile Durkheim

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1974. The sociology of Emile Durkheim. New York: Oxford University Press.

Buy hardcopy on Amazon.com: The sociology of Emile Durkheim.

Twilight of Authority

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1975. Twilight of authority. New York: Oxford University Press.

Review on Amazon.com: “We had thought, or our forefathers had, that modern liberal democracy would be spared the kind of erosion and decay that both Plato and Aristotle declared… More

Sociology as an Art Form

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1976. Sociology as an art form. New York: Oxford University Press.

Abstract: The author asserts that sociology is indeed an art form, one that has a strong kinship with literature, painting, Romantic history, and philosophy in the nineteenth century, the… More

History of the Idea of Progress

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1980. History of the idea of progress. New York: Basic Books.

Review on Amazon: The idea of progress from the Enlightenment to postmodernism is still very much with us. In intellectual discourse, journals, popular magazines, and radio and talk shows,… More

Prejudices: a Philosophical Dictionary

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1982. Prejudices: a philosophical dictionary. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Review on Amazon: Review All of the qualities of mind for which Nisbet is famous are fully displayed in this marvelous book―his philosophical profundity, his mastery of history, his… More

The Making of Modern Society

– Nisbet, Robert A.1986. The Making of Modern Society. New York: New York University Press.

Institutional online access(Limited search only): The Making of Modern Society. Buy hardcopy on Amazon.com: The Making of Modern Society.

Conservatism: Dream and reality

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1986. Conservatism: dream and reality. Milton Keynes, England: Open University Press.

Review on Amazon: The essential concerns of conservatism are the same as those that motivated Nisbet’s first and most influential book, The Quest for Community. In fact, Conservatism… More

Roosevelt and Stalin: the Failed Courtship

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1988. Roosevelt and Stalin: the failed courtship. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway.

Review on Amazon: Robert Nisbet tells the extraordinary full story of the futile pursuit of American President Franklin Roosevelt for the friendship of Russian leader Josef Stalin. The… More

The Present Age: Progress and Anarchy in Modern America

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1988. The present age: progress and anarchy in modern America. New York: Harper & Row.

Abstract: The Present Age I The Prevalence Of War Of all faces of the present age in America, the military face would almost certainly prove the most astounding to any Framers of the… More

Teachers and Scholars: a Memoir of Berkeley in Depression and War

– Nisbet, Robert A. 1988. Teachers and Scholars: A Memoir of Berkeley in Depression and War. New Brunswick and London: Transaction publishers.

Review from Amazon.com: The University of California at Berkeley is today best known as a great research center and popularly remembered as a locus of campus unrest in the 1960s. This… More

Essays

Class in American Society.

– Reissman, Leonard Commentary. "Class in American Society." Commentary Magazine. 1960.

Abstract: A SKEPTICAL historian once suggested that feudalism was introduced into England, not by William the Conqueror in the 11th century… Read online on Commentary Magazine: Class in… More

The Study of Man: Voting Practices Versus Democratic Theory

– Nisbet, Leonard A. "The Study of Man: Voting Practices versus Democratic Theory." Commentary Magazine. 1961.

Abstract: The relation of man to state is a timeless problem, one that provides a sturdy bridge from Plato to the Michigan Survey on elections. But in our day, we tend to deal with this… More

Foreign Policy & the American Mind

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Foreign Policy & the American Mind." Commentary Magazine. 1961.

Abstract: Robert A. Nisbet here contributes the fourth in our series of re-appraisals—written from differing points of view—of the key problems that confront American foreign policy in… More

Europe and America, by Solomon F. Bloom

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Europe and America, by Solomon F. Bloom." Commentary Magazine. 1962.

Abstract: “MODERN HISTORY,” Lord Acton wrote, “tells how the last four hundred years have modified the medieval conditions of life and… Read online on Commentary… More

Hutchins of Chicago

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Hutchins of Chicago." Commentary Magazine. 1964.

Abstract: Though the public still hears from Robert M. Hutchins as head of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions and perennial critic of the higher vocationalism of our… More

The Permanent Professors: a Modest Proposal

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The permanent professors: a modest proposal." The Public Interest. 1965.

Abstract: Although tenure is widely regarded as essential to the idea of the university, I would like to suggest it is far from certain that such is the ease. Tenure differs sharply from… More

What is an Intellectual?

– Nisbet, Robert A. "What is an Intellectual?" Commentary Magazine. 1965.

Abstract: The question of who or what is an intellectual may not be one that would have rocked the Mermaid Tavern or rattled the tables of 18th-century coffee houses, but in our… More

Notebooks, 1942-1951, by Albert Camus

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Notebooks, 1942-1951, by Albert Camus." Commentary Magazine. 1966.

Abstract: The literary interest and philosophical importance of this, the second volume of Camus’s notebooks, are bound up with the period… Read online on Commentary… More

Project Camelot: an Autopsy

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Project Camelot: an autopsy." National Affairs. 1966.

Abstract: Project Camelot may well have been the worst single scientific project since King Canute dealt with the tides: the worst conceived, worst advised, worst designed, and worst… More

Crisis in the University?

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Crisis in the university?" The Public Interest. 1968.

Abstract: Is there one? Quite a few intellectuals think so, but this in itself is not a sure guide. Intellectuals are often prone to see “crisis” in circumstances that for other persons… More

The Year 2000 and All That

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Year 2000 and All That." Commentary Magazine. 1968.

Abstract: The approach of the year 2000 is certain to be attended by a greater fanfare of predictions, prophecies, surmises, and forewarnings than any millennial year in history. In the… More

Victorian Minds, by Gertrude Himmelfarb

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Victorian Minds, by Gertrude Himmelfarb." Commentary Magazine. 1968.

Abstract: DOUBTLESS God could create a better interpreter of the English 19th century, but doubtless God hasn’t. So might the homely… Read online on Commentary Magazine: Victorian… More

The twilight of authority

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The twilight of authority." The Public Interest. 1969.

Abstract: THE most striking fact in the present period of revolutionary change is the quickened erosion of the traditional institutional authorities that for nearly a millennium have been… More

The Grand Illusion: An Appreciation of Jacques

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Grand Illusion: An Appreciation of Jacques." Commentary Magazine. 1970.

Abstract: Jacques Ellul is a deeply respected lay theologian in the (Protestant) Reformed Church of France, and also professor of law and history at the University of Bordeaux. He was born… More

The Counter-Culture and its Apologists:1 – An Epistle to the Americans

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Counter-Culture and its Apologists:1 - An Epistle to the Americans." Commentary Magazine. 1970.

Abstract: First, the politics of the matter. Is it possible to dislike Spiro T. Agnew and also dislike the Scranton Report?1 The answer is yes. Can one like Agnew and like the Report? Yes.… More

The Future of the University

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Future of the University." Commentary Magazine. 1971.

Abstract: No one surveying the academic scene today can conclude other than that the American university is in an exceedingly precarious position. The luster of even the most historic and… More

The Nemesis of Authority

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Nemesis of Authority." Intercollegiate Studies Institute-Education for Liberty. 1972.

Abstract: IN our day “authority” is not a popular word. We tend commonly to confuse it with power or coercion, and generally give it low ranking among the civil virtues. Not for… More

The Pursuit of Equality

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Pursuit of Equality." The Public Interest. 1974.

Abstract: IT is evident that, barring major physical catastrophe, war, or some other massive cause of deflection of current social interests, the idea of equality will be sovereign for the… More

Was There an American Revolution?

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Was There an American Revolution?" The American Conservative. July 4, 2012.

Abstract: Was there in fact an American Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century? By this, I mean a revolution involving sudden, decisive, and irreversible changes in social… More

The New Despotism

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The New Despotism." Commentary Magazine. 1975.

Abstract: When the modern political community was being shaped at the end of the 18th century, it was thought by its founders that the consequences of republican or representative… More

Public Opinion Versus Popular Opinion

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Public opinion versus popular opinion." The Public Interest. 1975.

Abstract: OF all the heresies afloat in modern democracy, none is greater, more steeped in intellectual confusion, and potentially more destructive of proper governmental funetion than that… More

Many Tocquevilles

–

NISBET, ROBERT. "Many Tocquevilles." The American Scholar 46, no. 1 (1977): 59-75.

Abstract: Many interest here is, in almost equal parts, Alexis de Tocqueville’s classic, Democracy in America, and the American intellectual scene, chiefly as we have known it since… More

Knowledge and Decisions, by Thomas Sowell

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Knowledge and Decisions, by Thomas Sowell." Commentary Magazine. 1980.

Abstract: During the past decade Thomas Sowell, who is professor of economics at UCLA, has made evident through a considerable range… Read online on Commentary Magazine: Knowledge and… More

MODERN AGE A QUARTERLY REVIEW: Conservatives and Libertarians: Uneasy Cousins

– Nisbet, Robert A. "MODERN AGE A QUARTERLY REVIEW: Conservatives and Libertarians: Uneasy Cousins." Isistatic. 1980.

Abstract: BY COMMON ASSENT modern conservatism, as political philosophy, springs from Edmund Burke: chiefly from his Reflections on the Revolution in France, published in 1790. That book is… More

The Quintessential Liberal

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Quintessential Liberal." Commentary Magazine. 1981.

Abstract: More than anyone else I can think of, including the late Hubert Humphrey, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., George McGovern, and James McGregor Burns, among others, John Kenneth Galbraith… More

Tocqueville Revisited

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Tocqueville revisited." The New Criterion 1, no 1. 1982: (76).

Abstract: Richard Reeves American Journey: Travelling with Tocqueville in Search of Democracy in America. Simon & Schuster, 399 pages. It is a rare month when a newspaper column,… More

Eric Voegelins Vision 71

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Eric Voegelins Vision 71." The Public Interest. 1983.

Abstract: EVER since his book, The New Science of Politics,was published in 1952, Erie Voegelin s reputation has been located among those thinkers we are prone to call “well known” but… More

Slavery and Social Death, by Orlando Patterson

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Slavery and Social Death, by Orlando Patterson." Commentary Magazine. 1983.

Abstract: Slavery, this book demonstrates, far from being a “peculiar institution,” comes very close to being, along with kinship and religion,… Read online on Commentary… More

The Coercive Utopians, by Rael Jean Isaac and Erich Isaac

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The Coercive Utopians, by Rael Jean Isaac and Erich Isaac." Commentary Magazine. 1984.

Abstract: Who are the coercive utopians? According to Rael Jean and Erich Isaac in this valuable book, they are the people in present-day America who hold the view that man is by nature… More

The conservative renaissance in perspective

– Nisbet, Robert A. "The conservative renaissance in perspective." The Public Interest. 1985.

Abstract: CONSERVATIVES might have been forgiven on election night, 1980, had visions of the millennium welled up in their minds. Ronald Reagan, 18-karat conservative of more than thirty… More

Still Questioning

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Still Questioning." Intercollegiate Studies Institute-Education for Liberty. 1993.

Abstract: In the retrospect of forty years I can see my book, The Quest for Community (first published by Oxford University Press in 1953; currently available from ICS Press, San… More

Social Science

– Nisbet, Robert A. "Social science." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Jul. 20, 1998.

Abstract: Social science, any discipline or branch of science that deals with human behaviour in its social and cultural aspects. The social sciences include cultural (or social)… More

Commentary

A review of the Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Freedom and Order

– Davis, Arthur K. "A review of the Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Freedom and Order." American Sociological Review 18, no. 4 (1953): 443-44. doi:10.2307/2087566.

Abstract: [In the following review of Quest for Community, Davis argues that Nisbet should build on his understanding of the conflict between local associations and large, centralized… More

A review of the Quest for Community: a Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom

– Kurtz, Paul W. "A review of the Quest for Community: a Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom." The Journal of Philosophy50, no. 25 (1953): 788-92. doi:10.2307/2021650.

Abstract: [In the following review of Quest for Community, Kurtz argues that Nisbet’s work is part of a useful trend in social science toward examining people as part of social units… More

A review of Social Change and History

– Mazlish, Bruce. “A review of Social Change and History.” Commonweal XL, no. 20 (1969): 546-47.

Abstract: [In the following review of Social Change and History, Mazlish praises Nisbet for revealing the notion that universal laws of economic and political development is culturally… More

The Anatomy of History

– Wrong, Dennis. “The Anatomy of History.” Commentary 48, no. 5 (1969): 85-9.

Abstract: [In the following review of Social Change and History, Wrong favorably compares the work to Nisbet’s earlier The Sociological Tradition sinceSocial Change and History… More

To Reform the Academy

– Ohmann, Richard. “To Reform the Academy.” Saturday Review 54, (1971): 54-55.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Ohmann faults Degradation of the Academic Dogma for blaming the politicization of American universities on post-World War II political developments rather… More

An interview in Psychology Today

– "An interview in Psychology Today." Interview by Robert W. Glasgow. Psychology Today, December 1973, 57-64.

Abstract: [In the following interview, Glasgow asks Nisbet his views on the growth of centralized bureaucratic and military power and the role each has played in fostering individual… More

The Political Animal

– Gow, Haven Bradford. “The Political Animal.” Modern Age 18, no. 4 (1974): 424-26.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Gow compares Nisbet’s Social Philosophers with Wilson Carey McWilliams’ The Idea of Fraternity.] What is community? What impells men to enter… More

Finding a Usable Past, Building a Livable Future

– Kelly, James R. “Finding a Usable Past, Building a Livable Future.” America 133, no. 13, (1975): 286-87.

Abstract: [In the following review of Twilight of Authority, Kelly criticizes Nisbet’s book as a simple-minded attack on the pursuit of equality through political means.] “Things… More

Social Science: The Public Disenchantment

– “Social Science: The Public Disenchantment.” American Scholar, (1976).

Abstract: [In the following symposium, written by James S. Coleman, Morris Janowitz, Harry G. Johnson, Robert Lekachman, Martin Mayer, Daniel P. Moynihan, Harold Orlans, Thomas Sowell, and… More

The Deepening Darkness

– Gow, Haven Bradford. “The Deepening Darkness.” Modern Age 21, no. 2, (1977): 211-12.

Abstract: [In the following eview of Twilight of Authority, Gow outlines Nisbet’s argument that centralized government is sapping vitality from social institutions such as the family,… More

Marx Upended

– Gellner, Ernest. “Marx Upended.” Partisan Review XLIV, no. 1, (1977): 139-43.

Abstract: [In the following review of Twilight of Authority, Gellner criticizes Nisbet for overemphasizing the role ideas play in fostering social trends.] The author of this likeable but… More

Robert Nisbet and the Idea of Community

– Hill, Fred Donovan. "Robert Nisbet and the Idea of Community." University Brookman 18, no. 3. (1978).

Abstract: Unlike Max Weber or Emile Durkheim, Robert A. Nisbet has not produced a remarkably original theory that has shaken the sociological world or revolutionized its concepts and… More

A Review of Sociology as an Art Form

– Burch, William R, Jr. “A Review of Sociology as an Art Form.” Philosophy and Rhetoric 12, no. 4 (1979): 274-77.

Abstract: [In the following review of Sociology as an Art Form, Burch finds value in Nisbet’s insights and analogies, which give a new perspective to old issues.] Sociology is an art… More

A Review of the History of the Idea of Progress

– Solomon, Robert C. “A Review of the History of the Idea of Progress.” Chicago Review 32, no. 2 (1980): 120-23.

Abstract: [In the following review of History of the Idea of Progress, Solomon praises Nisbet for undermining a unitary theory of progress that has no tolerance for cultural differences.]… More

Progress or Providence

– Andelson, Robert V. “Progress or Providence.” Modern Age 25, no. 1, (1981): 80-83.

Abstract: [In the following review of History of the Idea of Progress, Andelson criticizes Nisbet for including too many divergent ideas under the title “progress,” thereby failing to… More

The Politics of Progress

– Beauchamp, Gorman. “The Politics of Progress.” Michigan Quarterly Review XXL, no 4, (1982): 658-73.

Abstract: [In the following review of History of the Idea of Progress, Beauchamp dismisses Nisbet as a dishonest scholar and apologist for American business interests.] One Sunday evening… More

A Friend of the Family

– Goodman, Walter. “A Friend of the Family.” Newsweek, (1982): 78.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Goodman reviews Nisbet’s changes in political ideology, noting the consistency of Nisbet’s defense of the family and other social… More

A Dream Denied

– Gottfried, Paul. “A Dream Denied.” Policy Review, no. 38, (1986): 88-89.

Abstract: [In the following review of Conservatism, Gottfried argues that Nisbet’s rejection of both egalitarianism and religious enthusiasm renders his conservatism interesting but… More

Robert Nisbet’s America

– Eberstadt, Mary Tedeschi. “Robert Nisbet’s America.” Commentary 86, no. 2, (1988): 55-59.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Eberstadt considers Nisbet’s increasing alarm at the increase of centralized political power in the United States and its effects on primary social… More

Paradigm Lost

– Lemann, Nicholas. “Paradigm Lost.” Washington Monthly 23, no. 4, (1991): 46-50.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Lemann assesses the continuing influence of Nisbet’s Quest for Community, arguing that Nisbet powerfully captured Americans’ nostalgia for… More

Robert Nisbet: Resisting Leviathan

– Hoeveler, J. David, Jr. “Robert Nisbet: Resisting Leviathan.” Watch on the Right: Conservative Intellectuals in the Reagan Era, University of Wisconsin Press, (1991): 177-205.

Abstract: [In the following excerpt, Hoeveler argues that Nisbet combined belief in the power of social science with an attachment to traditional social institutions, which allowed him to… More

Robert Nisbet’s Quest

– Brooks, David. “Robert Nisbet’s Quest.” Weekly Standard 2, no. 3, (1996): 14-15.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Brooks praises Nisbet’s analysis of the sources of increased political centralization and the inevitable effects of this centralization on social… More

Robert Nisbet vs. the Nanny State

– “Robert Nisbet vs. the Nanny State.” American Enterprise 7, no. 6, (1996): 17-18.

Abstract: [In the following essay, the editors of the American Enterprise argue that Nisbet’s focus on the need for strong social institutions has become a dominant theme in American… More

A Humane Sociologist: Remembering Robert Nisbet

– Kirk, Russell. “A Humane Sociologist: Remembering Robert Nisbet.” University Bookman, 1996: (29-39).

Abstract: [In the following essay, Kirk praises Nisbet’s Quest for Community for showing the individual’s natural desire to form strong social attachments and the ways in which… More

Losing Giants

– Horowitz, Irving Louis. “Losing Giants.” Society 34, no. 3, (1997): 56-63.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Horowitz laments the deaths of Nisbet, E. Digby Baltzell, and Anselm L. Strauss, highlighting their common dislike of the entrenched elites of the late… More

Robert Nisbet and the Modern State

– Perrin, Robert G. “Robert Nisbet and the Modern State.” Modern Age 39, no. 1, (1997): 39-47.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Perrin reviews Nisbet’s life’s work, focusing on Nisbet’s developing theories concerning the cause of growth of the centralized… More

A True Sociologist

– Stone, Brad Lowell. “A True Sociologist.” The Intercollegiate Review 33, no. 2, (1998): 38-42.

Abstract: [In the following essay, Stone briefly reviews Nisbet’s life and work, emphasizing Nisbet’s criticisms of centralized power and the romantic individualism of Jean… More

Robert Nisbet and the Blight in the Olive Grove

– Henry, Regnery, and edited by Nelson, Jeffery O. “Robert Nisbet and the Blight in the Olive Grove.” Perfect Sowing: Reflections of a Bookman, (1991): 156-62.

Abstract: [In the following excerpt, Regnery emphasizes Nisbet’s criticisms of Enlightenment ideas and their tendency to overestimate the individual’s capacity for reason and… More

Remembering Alienation

– Wolfe, Alan. "Remembering Alienation." New Republic. 2010.

Abstract: The uneasiness, the malaise of our time, is due to this root fact: in our politics and economy, in family life and religion—in practically every sphere of our existence—the… More

Robert Nisbet’s Visible and Invisible Communities

– Harold,Philip. "Robert Nisbet's Visible and Invisible Communities." The Catholic Social Science Review 15, (2010): 175-191.

Abstract: Communitarian Robert Nisbet’s most famous book, The Quest for Community, falls short of what it intends to prove. Nisbet misinterprets Tocqueville on the nature of individualism… More

Caritas and Community: Reflections on the Conservative Sociological Art of Robert Nisbet

– Adler, Judith. "Caritas and Community: Reflections on the Conservative Sociological Art of Robert Nisbet." Society 52, vo. 4. 2015: (316-23). doi:10.1007/s12115-015-9907-1

Abstract: Nisbet’s conception of sociology practiced as an art form: multivocality, tolerance for uncertainty, wealth of invention, reservation of judgement. Tocqueville as exemplar.… More

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