Written by an internationally recognized authority on Thomas Jefferson, this accessible, witty, insightful book takes a wide-ranging, well-researched look at the philosophies and practices of the revered founding father and applies them to today's most hotly disputed issues.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Was this book commissioned by the Christian Coalition?,
By A Customer
This review is from: What Would Jefferson Say? (Paperback)
I have read over a 1/2 dozen books about Thomas Jefferson and "What would Jefferson say?" rates dead last. Sheldon's most poorly written chapters appear to be out of the area of his expertise. The book has some glaring errors in scientific discussions. It's obvious the author is not a scientist. He does a better job on chapters dealing with economics and Jefferson's character. He totally drops the ball in his chapter about Jefferson and science. Sheldon believes that Jefferson would reject evolution. He writes "...radical evolution holds that the world and it's species develop out of themselves, internally, not out of an external creator". Thus, Jefferson, who was a deistic scientist, would reject evolution. The quote is a false statement and shows the author's ignorance of science. True science does not have an opinion on things it cannot observe. It only attempts to explain what it can observe, therefore true science is open to the theory of natural evolution being born out of a creator. However, at this time such a theory cannot be tested or proved. Sheldon also quotes evolutionary scientist, Dr. Stephen Gould, grossly out of context. Gould would be furious to see how Sheldon has misused those writings. Something smells fishy. What is the author's hidden agenda here? I believe Jefferson, the true scientist he was, would side with the vast majority of scientists and accept evolution. In conclusion, I feel Jefferson would be proud that in only 200 years we have become the greatest nation on earth surpassing empires built over thousands of years. I do believe Jefferson, who hoped that U.S. citizens would eventually turn Unitarian would be disappointed that there is still so much superstition in the U.S. Jefferson saw knowledge as light, and superstition and ignorance as darkness. So what would Jefferson say about the book "What would Jefferson say?" I believe he would say the same thing he said about the Bible. He would call it a "dung hill." Sheldon corrupts Jefferson's beliefs in the same way Jefferson believed the Bible was corrupt. They were both put together to manipulate the uneducated. Sheldon makes Thomas Jefferson sound like Pat Robertson who, I have little doubt, Jefferson would have despised. For anyone who really wants to learn about Jefferson, I recommend reading "Jefferson and Religion" by Eugene R. Sheridan. Leave Sheldon's book to those who want to lie to themselves and make Jefferson into something he was not.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Incorrect and Misleading,
By eunomius (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
This review is from: What Would Jefferson Say? (Paperback)
Attention! Sheldon's views of Jefferson's thought to not reflect on Jefferson's! I could not believe what I was reading when I opened up this book. I hought that Sheldon had at least a relatively firm grasp on Jefferson's thought after reading his book "The Political Philosophy of Thomas Jefferson," I was sorely disappointed. It appears that Sheldon may understand what he thought, but is not able to translate it to the events of today. It is a shame that Sheldon failed in his effort, because such a work as this, properly done, would be wonderful to see. If you truly interested in what Jefferson would think about current events today, let me sum it up for you. He would be outraged and saddened to see what happened to the once great nation that he helped to found. He would be enraged at the tyrannical activities of our government. As for his political leanings, he would most certainly be a radical libertarian.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Biased, Inaccurate, Undocumented Work,
By Dohnanyi (Yachats, OR) - See all my reviews
This review is from: What Would Jefferson Say? (Paperback)
Although easy enough to read and laced with numerous Jeffersonian quotations, this book, on balance, is far more concerned with Professor Sheldon's appraisal of contemporary society than it is with the opinions of the nation's third president. Sheldon's conservative Christian viewpoint is obvious and gives rise to the legitimate concern that he may have been quite selective in his use of substantiating information, employing only those facts which are consistent with his own stance on issues while creating the illusion that he is presenting the reader with an unbiased perspective. Some of his "supportive evidence" is anecdotal and may very well have no basis in fact. For example, twice Sheldon mentions a comparison of surveys regarding educational problems in 1940 and 1990 in an attempt to prove a decline in educational and moral standards. These "surveys," however, are a fiction concocted by former Ft. Worth businessman T. Cullen Davis, an evangelical Christian who has openly admitted that he created the poll out of his own imagination in order to advance his personal views. Professor Sheldon may very well have done much the same thing. Lack of precise supportive documentation is the most disturbing feature of this book. Virtually nowhere is it possible for the reader to easily verify the accuracy of what the author states or to learn the context from which quoted remarks are taken. Given Sheldon's obvious bias, a reader who wants a more scholarly, objective account of Thomas Jefferson's thoughts would be well advised to look elsewhere, like Joseph Ellis's "American Sphinx."
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