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James Q. Wilson: How American government has changed fundamentally in recent decades -- and what that means for the future
American Politics, Then & Now and Other Essays
by James Q. Wilson
In the past three-quarters of a century, the American
system of government has changed -- and the changes, argues
public policy scholar James Q. Wilson, have been
fundamental. "Our political system has changed so
dramatically that the current economic recession, one
vastly less serious than when what greeted FDR, has
permitted President Obama to attempt to nationalize part of
the auto industry, hire and fire bank managers, and set in
motion a plan to that will, in effect, national our health
care system." Along the way, familiar institutions have
been weakened or destroyed, replaced by a commitment to
ideas and ideologies the consequences of which we do not
fully understand. In short, our political system today is
not what James Madison or even Harry Truman would have
recognized. Now, in American Politics, Then & Now and Other Essays, James
Q. Wilson examines this fundamental change in our politics,
explains how it occurred, and assesses its impact on our
future.
(continued from above)
In the 15 classic essays collected here, Wilson -- who
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President
George W. Bush -- draws on thirty years of observations on
religion, crime, the media, terrorism and extremism, and
the old-fashioned notion of "character." The first set of
essays discusses how our politics has changed and become
more polarized. The second reflects on religion and
freedom, looking specifically at religion as a polarizing
force in the United States and at Islam’s failure to
reconcile religion with individual autonomy. The third set
of essays explores the implications of the newest research
on genes and heredity for our political beliefs, our
understanding of human character, and our most basic
notions of freedom. Essay titles and topics include:
The Changing Nature of American Politics * The Expansion of
the Political Agenda * The Atomization of Congress and the
Parties * The Influence of Intellectuals * Welfare, Public
Finance, and Crime * The Rediscovery of Character * Character and
Policy * The Press at War * Defining the "Peace Party" * Why Is
Polarization Growing? * Divisions among Ordinary Americans * The
Historical Legacy of Religion * Religion and Public Opinion *
Religion Abroad * The Persistence of Religion in America *
Religion, Politics, and Markets * Religion Constrained by
Politics * Why Don't Jews Like the Christians Who Like Them? *
What Makes a Terrorist? * The Reform Islam Needs * Heredity and
Politics
These essays are not "the grumpy words of a
conservative who can't be reconciled to the realities of
contemporary American life," Wilson writes. Rather, they
are straight talk from a painstaking empiricist and
consummate social scientist who believes in American
exceptionalism. American Politics, Then & Now is a
compelling portrait of a beloved nation.
"Masterful". . ."Classic". . ."Trenchant"
"All of us who write about politics today know this:
To be a political commentator in James Q. Wilson's era is
to know how Mel Torme must have felt being a singer in
Frank Sinatra's era. We are all competing for the silver
medal. Wilson has won the gold. These essays show why." --
George F. Will
"For over forty years, James Q. Wilson has been
America's leading public intellectual -- and perhaps the
world's. Touching on almost every important aspect of our
politics, public policy, national character, morality, and
culture, these masterful essays draw together his own
encyclopaedic command of the social facts, the imperishable
political wisdom of Aristotle, and the felicitous wit and
concision of Dr. Johnson. They will reward thoughtful
readers generations after today's pompous pundits are long
forgotten." -- Peter H. Schuck, Simeon E. Baldwin Professor
of Law, Yale University
"The publication of these essays -- including the
classic 'The Rediscovery of Character'-- is an event to be
celebrated. Whether you agree or disagree with his
interpretation of American politics, James Q. Wilson never
fails to illuminate and provoke." -- William A. Galston,
senior fellow, the Brookings Institution
"Wilson is at his best when he argues from close
readings of historical evidence and social science data,
which often yield trenchant insights -- on the growth and
solidification of federal programs, the unimportance of
school spending and class size to educational outcomes
compared with intangibles like academic expectations and
discipline." --Publishers Weekly
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