History of Western Modern Thought (Six Academic Points)

Author: (American) Brinton, translated by Wang Dezhao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The main concern of this book is not how much consistency in thought and action—such as the one satirically established by the late George Orwell in his novel 1984—Russia or any totalitarian society can actually achieve from its members. What we are concerned with in this book is the undeniable pluralism (Multanimity, a readily understandable word but not yet fully recognized in English dictionaries) of contemporary Western societies. Personally, I believe this pluralism is not only by no means a weakness but, in fact, one of our great strengths. Regardless of how disillusioned we may feel, most Westerners still genuinely agree with Socrates' maxim, "Knowledge is virtue." Once we truly understand how people involved in the major issues discussed in this book come to believe what they believe, we will find it easier to tolerate them. And if we are to continue being the guardians of democracy, we must do so. Both "knowledge" and "virtue" present serious linguistic challenges; moreover, I do not think we can progress from Socrates' language to George Sand's saying, "To understand all is to forgive all." However, we do not necessarily need to fully achieve this romantic ideal. The purpose of this book is to help some readers begin to understand our pluralistic society. Without such understanding, our pluralism may be destroyed in irreconcilable conflicts, leading to a new organized society that is almost certainly undemocratic.