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Michael Walsh

The Devil's Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West Paperback – May 23, 2017

by Michael Walsh (Author)

314 ratings

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In the aftermath of World War II, America stood alone as the world’s premier military power. Yet its martial confidence contrasted vividly with its sense of cultural inferiority. Still looking to a defeated and dispirited Europe for intellectual and artistic guidance, the burgeoning transnational elite in New York and Washington embraced not only the war’s refugees, but many of their ideas as well, and nothing has proven more pernicious than those of the Frankfurt School and its reactionary philosophy of “critical theory.”

In The Devil's Pleasure Palace, Michael Walsh describes how Critical Theory released a horde of demons into the American psyche. When everything could be questioned, nothing could be real, and the muscular, confident empiricism that had just won the war gave way, in less than a generation, to a central-European nihilism celebrated on college campuses across the United States. Seizing the high ground of academe and the arts, the New Nihilists set about dissolving the bedrock of the country, from patriotism to marriage to the family to military service. They have sown, as Cardinal Bergoglio―now Pope Francis―once wrote of the Devil, “destruction, division, hatred, and calumny,” and all disguised as the search for truth.

The Devil's Pleasure Palace exposes the overlooked movement that is Critical Theory and explains how it took root in America and, once established and gestated, how it has affected nearly every aspect of American life and society.

Print length

232 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Encounter Books
Publication date

May 23, 2017
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1594039275
ISBN-13

978-1594039270
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Walsh is a journalist, author, and screenwriter, whose work includes six novels, seven works of nonfiction, and a hit Disney movie. The former classical music critic of Time magazine, he is now a regular contributor of political and cultural commentary to PJ Media and a Sunday op-ed columnist for the New York Post. Among his awards are the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for distinguished music criticism, in 1979, and the American Books Awards prize for fiction for his gangster novel, And All the Saints, in 2004.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Encounter Books; Reprint edition (May 23, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594039275
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594039270
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #289,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #170 in Philosophy Criticism (Books)
- #476 in Philosophy History & Survey
- #545 in Education Reform & Policy

Customer Reviews:
314 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		68%
4 star		14%
3 star		7%
2 star		5%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Skandia Recluse

Milton's Paradise Lost, Good v Evil, God v Satan, German Opera, and Critical Theory

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016

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If you are well educated, in the old school classical sense; if you are well educated in Western Civilization, German Opera, Classical Music, Philosophy, Ideology, Literature, and The Frankfurt School, then there might not be much new in this for you. But if you are a relatively uneducated schlub like myself, you will find your suspicions, your observations, and many of your conclusions confirmed, if you are following current events. (Yes, I know about the logical fallacy known as 'confirmation bias'. I learned it in elementary school where it was known to me as 'tell them what they want to hear'. I am automatically skeptical when a politician tells me what I want to hear or when someone tries to manipulate me with flattery to gain my confidence. I didn't get that with this book. It 'rings true')

Mr Walsh sets up his argument as a battle between Good and Evil, and quotes Milton's Paradise Lost in several places. He makes it a battle between God and Satan. Then shows the philosophy that supports that argument. He explains German Opera, and ties it in with the Good v Evil. (Yes, I know that the political left labels their opposition as evil, racist, oppressors. That's the whole point behind Critical Theory. Turn everything upside down. Good is bad, bad is good.)

The only place where the Author lost me was the chapter on the twelve tone music system. Went right over my head.

If you have the time, and are interested in philosophy, political ideology, and believe in the heroic battle between good and evil, this book may well explain why we are having the political arguments we are having today, and why those arguments are so acrimonious.

71 people found this helpful

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Magavara

Collection of ramblings on music, art and literature

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018

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When I bought this book, I expected to read and learn something about critical theory, the Frankfurt School, and how this impacts our culture today.
Alas, I was hoping for too much. What you get is a rather small portion of actual information on these subjects, but a whole lot of ramblings about operas, film, plays and and an attempt to analyze German mythology. The author would start off a chapter rather interesting for about a page or two and then heads off to the arts again for pages and pages!! If his purpose is to impress his readers with his knowledge of music, art and literature then he is doing a good job. But if you expect any reasonable debate on the ideas of what the title actually suggests, you will be greatly disappointed. Unfortunately I bought the kindle version otherwise I could use the hard-copy on my next camping trip for lighting the camp fire.

20 people found this helpful

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Michael G

The philosophical corruption of the US, and how to fight it

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2017

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3.5 stars

For comparison:
Thomas Sowell, The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy 5 stars
Theodore Dalrymple, Life At The Bottom 5 stars
Charles Murray, What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation 4.5 stars
Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics ofMeaning 4.5 stars

In this book Walsh traces much of the US's intellectual decline to the poisonous influence of the Frankfurt School, several of whose leaders fled here before the Second World War. He explores how the ideas spread by these resentful men helped corrupt US society, and argues that we need to recognize truths embedded in art, truths often dismissed or derided in our scientific age. Late in the book he offers a simple, powerful strategy for strengthening our cultural soul.

Walsh has written a polemic that makes few concessions to his ideological opponents. I imagine that leftists would find in it little of value and much to loathe. Conservatives, and those open to conservative ideas, are likely to come away from it invigorated, perhaps inspired.

32 people found this helpful

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Robert L. Clasen

This is an excellent book. It is well written

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016

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This is an excellent book. It is well written. It combines political science, religion and philosophy and literature. It is the sort of book that probably has to be written at the end of one's life, when one has thought long and deep about important issues for decades. It is a criticism of Cultural Marxism, which has infiltrated our country and is sapping the life out of it. It is also puts forth an interesting theory that God speaks to man not just in sacred books or formal religion but in all literature and drama which creates a battle between good and evil, which celebrates heroes. It is an attack upon nihilism, the modern nadir our culture is sinking into. It is all done with verve and panache, by a writer who appreciates great literature. If you are a conservative who is baffled by the state of our modern culture, this book will help to bring light to darkness. If you are a progressive, Marxist, socialist admirer, read this book at your own risk. Michael is not gentle.

29 people found this helpful

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Caeli Elaine

Buffoonery.

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2019

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His ability to truly study and understand Marxism and the school he claims its origins stemmed from is buffoonery. After sending him proofs of his errors by various other scholars he had me kicked out of the book group for which he lead. A true intellect seeks clearity and truth. He’s not interested in being honest or truthful.

15 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Ricky

Germany's revenge

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2019

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America used its military might to help the allies defeat Germany in WW2. However, whilst militarily strong, the USA felt culturally inferior, and ended up giving refuge to a group of Marxist Jews from the Frankfurt school in Germany. Instead of being grateful to their host, this group set about undermining and then destroying American culture. They propagated Critical Theory, infecting American culture like a virus, spreading amongst its universities, Hollywood, sports and politics. It led to the PC movement which attacks American pride and confidence by promoting a belief that America was racist in its inception and bad and corrupt, especially the ‘white’ majority.
Michael Walsh uses his considerable intellect and depth of understanding to tell the story of how the socialist wars in Europe transferred over to America. As a journalist in the old cold war, Walsh visited East Berlin and saw the communist regime at work, prior to the falling of the wall in 1989. He shows just how insidious and devastating the old failed socialist philosophies were and how they found fertile ground in the states. They have led to the new cold war between individualism and collectivism, capitalism and socialism…good and evil.
Using his finely tuned literary skills, his background as a music critic and his expertise in East German and Soviet culture, he delivers a powerful, allegorical analysis of the battle between good and evil. In the end, will Germany finally prevail and get its revenge on the USA…or will the new world order rediscover its confidence and banish the German foe once and for all?

3 people found this helpful

Jobie

The Devil's Pleasure Palace book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2021

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The Devil's Pleasure Palace book. Arrived quickly in good condition. Book is well manufactured on good quality paper. Not going to do a book review - you'll have to read it yourself!

David Lynch

Recieved on time, thanks!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2019

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Great read

One person found this helpful

Miriam Seshadri

Rambles on...

Reviewed in Australia on June 16, 2019

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I am not quite sure what the point of this diatribe was. He rambles on about the destructive effects of The Frankfurt School yet many of their theories were developed in response to national-socialism which he also despises. A lot of our problems are caused by both and then neither really - maybe we are all just exhausted and spent? Why don’t any of these writers attack the financiers and industrialists who sponsor all this instead of the masses who give up on them and the embittered writings of equally war-battered theorists?

T. S.

A Must Read

Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2017

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Brilliant. Timely. Necessary. The problem the West faces has now been fully exposed/identified. This is the first step in solving it. A deep analysis that smartly brings spiritualism into full play here too. Each chapter is a jewel. Amazing.