Lincoln's Tragic Pragmatism: Lincoln, Douglas, and Moral Conflict Contributor(s): Burt, John (Author) |
|
![]() |
ISBN: 0674983998 ISBN-13: 9780674983991 Publisher: Belknap Press OUR PRICE: $41.58 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2018 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - Philosophy | Political - Philosophy | Ethics & Moral Philosophy |
Physical Information: 1.7" H x 6.1" W x 9.2" (2.65 lbs) 832 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice In 1858, challenger Abraham Lincoln debated incumbent Stephen Douglas seven times in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. More was at stake than slavery in those debates. In Lincoln's Tragic Pragmatism, John Burt contends that the very legitimacy of democratic governance was on the line. In a United States stubbornly divided over ethical issues, the overarching question posed by the Lincoln-Douglas debates has not lost its urgency: Can a liberal political system be used to mediate moral disputes? And if it cannot, is violence inevitable? "John Burt has written a work that every serious student of Lincoln will have to read...Burt refracts Lincoln through the philosophy of Kant, Rawls and contemporary liberal political theory. His is very much a Lincoln for our time." "I'm making space on my overstuffed shelves for Lincoln's Tragic Pragmatism. This is a book I expect to be picking up and thumbing through for years to come." "Burt treats the [Lincoln-Douglas] debates as being far more significant than an election contest between two candidates. The debates represent profound statements of political philosophy and speak to the continuing challenges the U.S. faces in resolving divisive moral conflicts." |
Contributor Bio(s): Burt, John: - John Burt is Professor of English at Brandeis University. |