Modernity And Its Discontents

Steven B. Smith examines the concept of modernity, not as the end product of historical developments but as a state of m... (more)

Steven B. Smith examines the concept of modernity, not as the end product of historical developments but as a state of mind. He explores modernism as a source of both pride and anxiety, suggesting that its most distinctive characteristics are the self-criticisms and doubts that accompany social and political progress. Providing profiles of the modern project{u2019}s most powerful defenders and critics{u2014}from Machiavelli and Spinoza to Saul Bellow and Isaiah Berlin{u2014}this provocative work of philosophy and political science offers a novel perspective on what it means to be modern and why discontent and sometimes radical rejection are its inevitable by-products. (less)