American Academia and the Survival of Marxist Ideas [Hardcover]

Dario Fernandez-Morera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0275952649 | ISBN-13: 978-0275952648

Marxist thought pervades American academic discourse, particularly in the humanities and the social sciences. Fernández-Morera shows why the survival of these ideas is unjustified in the face of their theoretical and practical problems and their historical record.

Fernández-Morera provides a comprehensive critique of Marxist/materialist discourse as it pervades contemporary American scholarship. He examines the rhetorical and ideological underpinnings of the discourse, the socioeconomic circumstances and personality type of its academic practitioners, and its impact on other forms of academic speech. He also exposes the epistemological and ethical consequences of the discourse in light of the history of the 20th century and explains its remarkable success in the academic world.

Being multidisciplinary, the book should challenge many and appeal to those interested in criticism, politics, epistemology, ethics, history, sociology, and even economics. Certainly all those interested in the condition of higher education will find it provocative.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is highly...relevant to the current trends and problems of American higher education as well as the broader and more timeless issues of philosophy and epistemology. It is also an outstanding contribution to the sociology of intellectuals, parts of it reminding this reader of Raymond Aron's classic, The Opium of Intellectuals, of which it is a worthy successor in some regards. A lucid style and thorough documentation enhance the impact of this excellent, highly original study, which in the final analysis is an all too rare synthesis of what people think, how they behave, and how institutions function (or fail to function)."-Paul Hollander, Professor of Sociology University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Book Description

A detailed analysis of how and why Marxist thought pervades contemporary American higher education and scholarship.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (September 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275952649
• ISBN-13: 978-0275952648
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,283,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reveals much about the Marxist bent of American academics, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: American Academia and the Survival of Marxist Ideas (Hardcover)

Fernandez-Morera has written the "must read" book of the decade for anyone considering an unrestricted donation to almost any major American university. The author, an academic like Paul Hollander, is a brave soul, willing to risk being ostrasized by the entire radical-left contingent of American academia, in order to expose the degree to which the Church of Karl Marx has become established on American campuses. Quoting from the writings of marxist academics themselves, he makes the case that the university is a place where free and open discussion is welcome only if it attacks free markets and private property, where it is more acceptable to be a Marxist than it is to be a Republican, and where Hayek's prescient 1944 work on socialism, Road to Serfdom, is virtually unknown, even though read widely in many former marxist states in Eastern Europe. It is also essential reading for parents with pre-college children who are planning to spend over the next few years, a hundred thousand dollars or so on a unversity degree in either the social sciences or the humanities , in the mistaken belief that something of value is being purchased.