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Liberty or Equality: The Challenge of Our Times Paperback – April 17, 2014

by Erik Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn (Author)

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Sometime in the 18th century, the word equality gained ground as a political ideal, but the idea was always vague. In this treatise, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn argues that it reduced to one simple and very dangerous idea: equality of political power as embodied in democracy. He marshals the strongest possible case that democratic equality is the very basis not of liberty, as is commonly believed, but the total state. He uses national socialism as his prime example. He further argues the old notion of government by law is upheld in old monarchies, restrained by a noble elite. Aristocracy, not democracy, gave us liberty. On his side in this argument, he includes the whole of the old liberal tradition, and offers overwhelming evidence for his case. In our times, war and totalitarianism do indeed sail under the democratic flag. This book, capable of overturning most of what you thought you knew about political systems, was first published in 1952.

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Product details

Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: Ludwig von Mises ,Institute (April 17, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610160304
ISBN-13: 978-1610160308
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #356,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13405 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government

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Vortimer Glyndyr

This book is essential reading for any serious student of ...

September 22, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is essential reading for any serious student of history or political science who wishes to gain a deeper practical and philosophical understanding of Monarchism, Democracy, Catholic nations, 19th century political thought, and National Socialism. Kuehnelt-Leddihn is adept at collecting ideas and quotes from the most learned 19th century writers and connecting them together in helpful ways. He does this without claiming their ideas as his own or ripping their quotes out of context. Many pages in this book are profound and bear multiple re-readings. Overall, Liberty or Equality is a rich and satisfying educational/philosophical feast.

0Comment 14 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Intriguingly Unique

December 31, 2008

Format: Paperback

This is a most unusual book. It is informative, perplexing, provocative. It has influenced my thinking more than any other book.

There are mainly two juxtapositions the author uses to distinguish liberty from equality: Catholicism with Protestantism and democracy with monarchy. In discussing religion and politics, Kuehnelt-Leddihn appeals to European and America history. The religious-history discussion focuses on Luther while the political-history discussion offers a rare and undoubtedly romanticized glimpse of life under Renaissance and Baroque-period monarchies. The political-history discussion continues through the French Revolution and culminates in the rise of Nazism.

This is not a history book, though. K-L goes far beyond his historical sketches with an ongoing and much deeper philosophical consideration of his two juxtapositions. And if his historical insights are great, K-L's philosophy is simply astonishing. He shows the American man-on-the-street's understanding of such things as Canon Law, majority rule, and education is woefully inadequate. He challenges the common understanding of Catholicism as "strict", the near-universal faith in democracy, and the widely-held belief that education must be provided to all. This constant opposition to conventional wisdom sets up an important theme late in the book: good governance is lost among the amateur voters and rulers that comprise a democracy. Skillful ruling and diplomacy is the hallmark of monarchy.

Many who read this book will undoubtedly come away with new political considerations. But for me, there is also the even more powerful new consideration of religion. Of course, the two may very well be inseparable for K-L readers anyway, since he is so deeply skeptical of the church-state separation. Even on its own, though, the analysis of Catholicism and Protestantism was compelling; it has deepened my interest in theology and elevated my respect for the the Church.

One star is missing from my rating because the book is a very challenging read and unnecessarily so. My main complaint is that the book is poorly organized. It meanders. But I do very much like the language he uses and appreciate the thorough annotations.

I recommend Liberty or Equality to anyone who finds mainstream political media to be disastrous, is frustrated by No Child Gets Ahead, or can approach the religion-vs-secularism debate with intellectual honesty.

0Comment 42 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

November 23, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A brilliant, learned book on the illiberal tendencies of democratic and egalitarian movements, by a neglected political philosopher.

0Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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