Uncertain Victory : Social Democracy and Progressivism in European and American Thought, 1870-1920

Between 1870 and 1920, two generations of European and American intellectuals created a transatlantic community of philosophical and political discourse. Uncertain Victory, the first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the U.S., and Great Britain during these fifty years, demonstrates how a number of thinkers from different traditions converged to create the theoretical foundations for new programs of social democracy and progressivism. Kloppenberg studies a wide range of pivotal theorists and activists--including philosophers such as William James, Wilhelm Dilthey, and T. H. Green, democratic socialists such as Jean Jaurès, Walter Rauschenbusch, Eduard Bernstein, and Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and social theorists such as John Dewey and Max Weber--as he establishes the connection between the philosophers'challenges to the traditions of empiricism and idealism and the activists'opposition to the traditions of laissez-faire liberalism and revolutionary socialism. By demonstrating a link between a philosophy of self-conscious uncertainty and a politics of continuing democratic experimentation, and by highlighting previously unrecognized similarities among a number of prominent 19th- and 20th-century thinkers, Uncertain Victory is sure to spur a reassessment of the relationship between ideas and politics on both sides of the Atlantic. The Philosophy Of The Via Media -- Beyond Kant: Religion And Science In Nineteenth-century Thought -- Portraits: A Generation Of Radical Philosophers -- Clearing The Field: Critiques Of Associationism And Idealism -- The Radical Theory Of Knowledge -- The Immediacy Of Lived Experience -- The Consciousness Of Continuity And The Continuity Of Consciousness -- Voluntary Action And Pragmatic Truth -- Culture, Understanding, And History -- The Social And Meaningful Quality Of Experience -- Interpretation As A Means Of Knowing -- The Historical Sensibility -- The Ethics Of Rational Benevolence -- Beyond Utilitarianism And Intuitionism -- The Conflict Between Prudence And Justice -- The Historicity Of Ethics And The Burden Of Responsibility -- From Philosophy To Politics -- The Politics Of The Via Media -- Political Reform And The Role Of Intellectuals -- Resurrecting The Common Good -- From Socialism To Social Democracy -- The Origins Of Social Democracy -- The Critique Of Socialist Reason -- Rethinking Economic Theory: Where Marx Went Wrong -- Social Democratic Politics -- Reform Strategy And The Tactics Of Liberal Alliance -- Democracy And The Problem Of Expertise -- Liberty, Equality, And Fraternity Reconsidered -- From Liberalism To Progressivism -- Drifting From Liberalism -- Understanding Social Experience -- The Problem Of Ethics In A Disenchanted World -- Progressive Politics -- Political Action And Cultural Change -- Progressive Education -- Bureaucracy Versus Democracy -- The Prospect Of Justice -- Freedom And Property. Toward A Harmony Of Free Wills -- Conclusion: Knowledge, Responsibility, And Reform. James T. Kloppenberg. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [511]-528.

Between 1870 and 1920, two generations of European and American intellectuals created a transatlantic community of philosophical and political discourse. Uncertain Victory, the first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the U.S., and Great Britain during these fifty years, demonstrates how a number of thinkers from different traditions converged to create the theoretical foundations for new programs of social democracy and progressivism. Kloppenberg studies a wide range of pivotal theorists and activists—including philosophers such as William James, Wilhelm Dilthey, and T. H. Green, democratic socialists such as Jean Jaurès, Walter Rauschenbusch, Eduard Bernstein, and Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and social theorists such as John Dewey and Max Weber—as he establishes the connection between the philosophers' challenges to the traditions of empiricism and idealism and the activists' opposition to the traditions of laissez-faire liberalism and revolutionary socialism. By demonstrating a link between a philosophy of self-conscious uncertainty and a politics of continuing democratic experimentation, and by highlighting previously unrecognized similarities among a number of prominent 19th- and 20th-century thinkers, Uncertain Victory is sure to spur a reassessment of the relationship between ideas and politics on both sides of the Atlantic.

Between 1870 and 1920, two generations of European and American intellectuals created a transatlantic community of philosophical and political discourse. Uncertain Victory, the first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the U.S., and Great Britain during these fifty years, demonstrates how a number of thinkers from different traditions converged to create the theoretical foundations for new programs of social democracy and progressivism. Kloppenberg studies a wide range of pivotal theorists and activists--including philosophers such as William James, Wilhelm Dilthey, and T. H. Green, democratic socialists such as Jean Jaurès, Walter Rauschenbusch, Eduard Bernstein, and Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and social theorists such as John Dewey and Max Weber--as he establishes the connection between the philosophers' challenges to the traditions of empiricism and idealism and the activists' opposition to the traditions of laissez-faire liberalism and revolutionary socialism. By demonstrating a link between a philosophy of self-conscious uncertainty and a politics of continuing democratic experimentation, and by highlighting previously unrecognized similarities among a number of prominent 19th- and 20th-century thinkers, Uncertain Victory is sure to spur a reassessment of the relationship between ideas and politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Frontmatter Introduction (page 3) PART ONE Chapter 1. The Philosophy of the Via Media (page 15) Chapter 2. The Radical Theory of Knowledge (page 64) Chapter 3. Culture, Understanding, and History (page 95) Chapter 4. The Ethics of Rational Benevolence (page 115) Chapter 5. From Philosophy to Politics (page 145) PART TWO Chapter 6. From Socialism to Social Democracy (page 199) Chapter 7. Social Democratic Politics (page 247) Chapter 8. From Liberalism to Progressivism (page 298) Chapter 9. Progressive Politics (page 349) Chapter 10 The Prospect of Justice (page 395) Notes (page 417) Selected Bibliography (page 511) Index (page 529) The first comparative study of ideas and politics in France, Germany, the US, and Great Britain between 1870 and 1920