Gertrude Himmelfarb was an American historian recognized for her leadership in conservative interpretations of history and historiography. Her extensive writings explored intellectual history, with a particular focus on Britain and the Victorian era. Himmelfarb also delved into contemporary society and culture, offering insightful analyses of their development and trends. She was a distinguished thinker whose works provide profound perspectives on historical and cultural contexts.
Explores the risks and responsibilities of liberty. Examining the tyranny that can come both from government and from the herd-like opinion of the majority, this title proposes a freedom to think, unite, and pursue our pleasures as the most important freedoms, as long as we cause no harm to others.
One of America's most distinguished intellectual historians explores the minds and lives of some of the most brilliant and provocative thinkers of modern times, including John Stuart Mill, Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Michael Oakeshott.
Gertrude Himmelfarb's elegant and wonderfully readable work, The Roads to Modernity, reclaims the Enlightenment from historians who have downgraded its importance and from scholars who have given preeminence to the Enlightenment in France over concurrent movements in England and in America.
The collection showcases Milton Himmelfarb's insightful essays that traverse social, political, and theological themes. His unique perspectives range from discussions on influential thinkers like Leo Strauss and Spinoza to reflections on significant historical events, including the Holocaust and the role of religion in society. Compiled by his sister, historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, these sixteen essays provide a rich blend of literary enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, and political insight, highlighting Himmelfarb's relevance and depth as an essayist.
From one of today's most respected historians and cultural critics comes a new book examining the gulf in American society--a division that cuts across class, racial, ethnic, political and sexual lines.One side originated in the tradition of republican virtue, the other in the counterculture of the late 1960s. Himmelfarb argues that, while the latter generated the dominant culture of today-particularly in universities, journalism, television, and film--a "dissident culture" continues to promote the values of family, a civil society, sexual morality, privacy, and patriotism. Proposing democratic remedies for our moral and cultural diseases, Himmelfarb concludes that it is a tribute to Americans that we remain "one nation" even as we are divided into "two cultures."
Exploring the influence of Darwinism on the intellectual landscape of the nineteenth century, this work presents a biographical, historical, and philosophical analysis that questions the traditional perception of Darwin's significance. It delves into the broader implications of his theories, offering a critical examination of their impact on contemporary thought. The book is praised for its comprehensive and insightful approach, making it a valuable resource for understanding the complexities surrounding Darwin's legacy.
As the debate over values grows ever more divisive, one of the most eminent historians of the Victorian era reminds readers that values are no substitute for virtues--and that the Victorian considered hard work, thrift, respectability, and charity virtues essential to a worthwhile life. "An elegant, literate defense of ninteenth-century English mores and morals."--New York.
"The Roads to Modernity reclaims the Enlightenment - an extraordinary time bursting with new ideas about the human condition in the realms of politics, society, and religion - from historians who have downgraded its importance and from scholars who have given preeminence to the Enlightenment in France over concurrent movements in England and America. Contrasting the Enlightenments in the three nations, Gertrude Himmelfarb demonstrates the primacy of the British and the wisdom and foresight of thinkers such as Adam Smith, David Hume, Thomas Paine, the Earl of Shaftesbury, Edward Gibbon, and Edmund Burke, who established its unique character and historic importance. It is this Enlightenment, she argues, that created a moral and social philosophy - humane, compassionate, and realistic - that still resonates strongly today, in America perhaps ever more so than in Europe." "This is a contribution to the history of ideas."--BOOK JACKET.
Exploring the shared moral passion of influential modern thinkers across various traditions and genres, this book delves into their unique responses to contemporary issues. The second edition enhances the original content with a revised introduction and includes three new essays focusing on the contributions of Adam Smith, Lord Acton, and Alfred Marshall, enriching the discussion of moral imagination in their works.