Customer Reviews

Tyranny of Reason

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A fantastic book that delivers much more than it promises. It promises to answer the question "should we rely on scientific methods to study society?" and it gives an interesting (mostly negative) answer, but in the process it also gives a wonderfully accessible introduction to western philosophy for readers who are not experts in the subject. Too long in some parts, but very well written and definitely worth a read.

In this powerfully argued work, Yuval Levin discusses and assesses how an extreme form of the social scientific mindset gave rise to twentieth-century totalitarianism in the form of Soviet communism. Levin also shows that the New Deal and its resulting welfare state are products of that mindset. The main message of this brilliant study is to beware of people who believe in inescapable laws of human history and who presume that they can discern them. This is essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy, history, politics, economics, or the social sciences.

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. Levin explores western thought from Plato and Aristotle all the way through the 20th century, but his theme is the same all through - man's arrogant mistake of thinking his understanding of the physical world can be applied to man himself, and the terrors resulting from this mistake. Succinct but complete. I loved it.

Levin follows in the footsteps of Hayek's "Counter-Revolution of Science" but seeks the roots of scientism deeper in the Western tradition. This book will teach you a lot not only about the methods of the social sciences, but about the intellectual tradition reaching back to antiquity that has given us the world we know. A balanced and powerful survey.

This is a carefully laid-out argument for a less quantitative approach to the social sciences that would leave more room for democratic decision-making. By tracing some key ideas in the history of philosophy, the author follows the development of the relationship between the natural sciences and the social sciences, and points to a potentially harmful confusion of the two in the modern age. The book has much of value to tell us about American politics today.

This is a carefully laid-out argument for a less quantitative approach to the social sciences that would leave more room for democratic decision-making. By tracing some key ideas in the history of philosophy, the author follows the development of the relationship between the natural sciences and the social sciences, and points to a potentially harmful confusion of the two in the modern age. The book has much of value to tell us about American politics today.

A fantastic book that delivers much more than it promises. It promises to answer the question "should we rely on scientific methods to study society?" and it gives an interesting (mostly negative) answer, but in the process it also gives a wonderfully accessible introduction to western philosophy for readers who are not experts in the subject. Too long in some parts, but very well written and definitely worth a read

Very thorough and careful, it makes a powerful point

This is an excellent survey of the progression of Western thought to its culmination in the totalitarian horrors of the 20th century. Levin's masterpiece is concise yet far reaching, although necessarily superficial in places. It is not overtly religious, but it will resonate with believers in a Creator. The thesis of this work is played out each and every day in our media, bureaucracy, politics, and culture; as such, it should be required reading for any thinking person. His chapter on Stalin is in complete concordance with Robert Conquest's classic The Great Terror. The Left will absolutely hate it.

Don't be put off by this book as an 'academic text,' it is very accessible to regular readers with an interest in political and social affairs, and it makes a strong point well. I highly recommend it.