Edmund Burke: Modernity, Politics and Aesthetics

Edmund Burke and the Dangers of Modernity examines the philosophy of Burke in view of its contribution to our understanding of modernity. This interpretation of Burke begins with particular attention to the circumstances in which he lived and wrote. The outline of Burke's life forms the basis for the more specific insights developed in the following chapters. Author, Stephen White, examines whether Burke's critique of political modernity retains any resonance for us today, and explores the question; "If we identify Burke's wisdom with his critique of revolutionary radicalism and nationalism, then do we not have to admit that his significance as a political thinker recedes in the late 20th century as the threat [of revolutionary uprising] itself recedes?" "This book offers a reading of Burke that wrests him from his typical defenders and detractors in a way that is provocative and profoundly compelling. By illuminating Burke's political reflections through the lens of his aesthetic writings on the sublime, Stephen K. White brilliantly reveals Burke to be a thinker who offers political and ethical insights of great significance for contemporary reflections on the dangers and possibilities of modernity. This is White's most artfully written book, and it further establishes him as one of the freshest theorists writing today. His thinking cuts across the boundaries of premodernism, modernism, and postmodernism in ways which offer a perspective that is invaluable for political reflection and usually concealed by less subtle intellects." --Romand Coles, Duke University, North Carolina This product is now available from: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Phone: 800-462-6420 Fax: 800-338-4550 http:\\www.rowmanlittlefield.comWhite, Stephen K. is the author of 'Edmund Burke: Modernity, Politics and Aesthetics' with ISBN 9780803936690 and ISBN 0803936699.