{"product_id":"reclaiming-the-enlightenment-toward-a-politics-of-radical-engagement-9780231126083","title":"Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Toward a Politics of Radical Engagement","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book tackles an obvious yet profound problem of modern political life: the disorientation of intellectuals and activists on the left. As the study of political history and theory has been usurped by cultural criticism  a confusion over the origins and objectives of progressive politics has been the result. Specifically  it has become fashionable for intellectuals to attack the Enlightenment for its imperialism  eurocentrism  and scientism  and for the sexism and racism of some of its major representatives. Although the fact that individual thinkers harbored such prejudices is irrefutable  Stephen Bronner argues that reducing the Enlightenment ethos to these beliefs is wholly unsustainable.  With its championing of democracy  equality  cosmopolitanism  and reasonand its vociferous attacks on popular prejudice  religious superstition  and arbitrary abuses of powerthe Enlightenment was once hailed as the foundation of all modern  progressive politics. But in 1947  this perspective was dramatically undermined when Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno published their classic work  Dialectic of Enlightenment  which claims that the Enlightenment was the source of totalitarianism and the worst excesses of modernity. Reclaiming the Enlightenment from purely philosophical and cultural interpretations  Bronner shows that its notion of political engagement keeps democracy fresh and alive by providing a practical foundation for fostering institutional accountability  opposing infringements on individual rights  instilling an enduring commitment to social reform  and building a cosmopolitan sensibility. This forceful and timely reinterpretation of the Enlightenment and its powerful influence on contemporary political life is a resounding wake-up call to critics on both the left and the right.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651530022965,"sku":"ByrdShop_0231126085","price":213.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780231126083.jpg?v=1781835475","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/reclaiming-the-enlightenment-toward-a-politics-of-radical-engagement-9780231126083","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}