The Public Philosophy [Paperback]

Walter Lippmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1989

The Public Philosophy offers as much a glimpse into the private philosophy of America's premier journalist of the twentieth century as it does a public philosophy. The basis of Lippmann's effort is "that there is a deep disorder in our society which comes not from the machinations of our enemies and from the adversaries of the human condition, but from within ourselves." He also provides a special sort of legacy to liberalism in its broadest sense. This work is a masterful defense of the public philosophy as a constitutional tradition, and can be easily read as such today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) was the author of many books on political thought and was widely considered America’s most distinguished syndicated columnist. In addition to being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he won two Pulitzer Prizes for his newspaper column “Today and Tomorrow,” which appeared in the New YorkHerald Tribune.

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887387918
• ISBN-13: 978-0887387913
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lippmann's The Public Philosophy: Still Relevant Today, September 3, 2001

By 

E. Robert Statham, Jr., Ph.D. (University of Guam, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Public Philosophy (Paperback)

Walter Lippmann's The Public Philosophy is as relevant today as when it was written in 1955. His assertion that the traditions and customs of civility are in decline in both America and the West is only reinforced by the growing unreason and incivility of our age.

Lippmann's belief that a role for political philosophy(ers) is of vital importance if our free and democratic institutions are to be preserved is right on the mark. The Socratic pursuit of the "examined" life is more rare today than ever. And yet, for that reason, it is all the more important.

The Public Philosophy is a "classic" and serves as a reminder that the solutions to the problems of democracy are not found in further democratization.

E. Robert Statham, Jr., Ph.D.
University of Guam, U.S.A.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Lippmann's most important works, January 23, 2010

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Public Philosophy (Paperback)

Walter Lippmann was an interesting political thinker in the United States during the 20th Century. This is one of his most interesting works. And his ruminations are quite relevant today. A key point at the outset of this work (Page 19): "If I am right in what I have been saying, there has developed in this century a functional derangement of the relationship between the mass of people and the government. The people have acquired power which they are incapable of exercising and the governments--they have lost power which they must recover if they are to govern."

He notes another disjunction--between "the people" and "THE PEOPLE" (my distinction in caps). As Edmund Burke, he does not believe that the people, as in government by the people, refers just to those living. In his view, THE PEOPLE is (Page 32) ". . .a community of the entire living population, and their predecessors and successors." Applicability? In today's toxic political atmosphere, the parties are only interested in their current base and those independents whom they can claim and, perhaps, scraping away some of the other party's supporters. In the process, the past and the future are neglected (again, Burke speaks to the same issue).

Democracies need civility to function; they also need a "public philosophy," based on core values, to bind the country together and to structure political discourse. I suspect that Lippmann would be most distressed to see the partisan divide today (although this is certainly nothing new in American political history). For instance, he argues that such things as an absolute right to property is not appropriate when one has a public philosophy. There is a greater good than the right to property. That gives a taste of his views with one specific example.

It might be that many Americans would be richly rewarded by reading Lippmann's work. I surely have many questions about his argument, but the seemingly quaint arguments that he makes might lead to a more productive political process. The current "blood sport" does little good for the larger public's interest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless insight at the psyche of politics, April 24, 2006

By 

The Straw Man "J.E. Hoppock" (Aloof October on April's Birthday) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Public Philosophy (Paperback)

I feel that this book is as relevant now as it was when it was written over fifty years ago. Lippmann does a good job at looking at where American people fit into their democracy (which is more of a republic).

One of the most compelling quotes in this book is: "The best education for democracy will be the one which trains, disciplines, and teaches the least." Pg. 63

Really think about what this quote is saying, then think about people ready to kill one and other about whether Democratic is right, Republican is right, Moderate is right or even if Wookie is right. Many times in this society people shoot their mouths off about elements they have no lucid or tangible ground beneath their feet to stand on, but have plenty of room to put their feet in their mouth.

I was required to read this book in a graduate class, and I found it very interesting and thought provoking. Is this book everything one needs to know on politics, government, sociology and the human condition? No, but it is a great place to start.

Only abstract and higher-level taxonomy thinkers need to apply.