335: Working by Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel devoted a considerable portion of his radio career to interviewing regular people. In 1974 he published a collection of oral histories with ordinary working people that quickly became a best-seller. This collection provides tremendous insight into what work means to American workers and how they look for meaning in their work. Definitely a classic.

Why this is progressive/liberal: It's a truism that progressives are more concerned with the people working the jobs than the people creating the jobs. While this truism falls apart under close investigation, it also contains a seed of truth. Terkel's interest in regular working folk reflects a traditionally progressive interest. Workers have value, and work gives people purpose. It is more important than simply the profit it can provide the owners.

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336: Winner-Take-All Politics by Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson

Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer--and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class by Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson

Maintaining a strong middle-class is an important part of the progressive philosophy. Reading this book will help explain why government regulations and keeping corporations restrained by government are essential to keeping a strong middle-class.

From the publisher's description:

We all know that the very rich have gotten a lot richer these past few decades while most Americans haven't. In fact, the exorbitantly paid have continued to thrive during the current economic crisis, even as the rest of Americans have continued to fall behind. Why do the "haveit- alls" have so much more? And how have they managed to restructure the economy to reap the lion's share of the gains and shift the costs of their new economic playground downward, tearing new holes in the safety net and saddling all of us with increased debt and risk? Lots of so-called experts claim to have solved this great mystery, but no one has really gotten to the bottom of it—until now.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Hacker and Pierson clearly lay out why the problems facing progressives can't be solved simply by choosing one party over another. Legislation is increasingly rigged to favor the ultra-rich and the corporations that help them increase their wealth. Over the last 30 years deregulation hasn't helped create a level playing field, instead it's given the advantage to corporations and the super-wealthy.

Buy the Kindle version of this book: Winner-Take-All Politics

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337: The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The Gulag Archipelago Volume 1: An Experiment in Literary Investigation by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Perhaps the most annoying tic of today's political right is conflating modern American progressivism with the tyrannical "socialist" governments of the 20th century. (Almost as annoying is the widespread ignorance among progressives about where those arguments originate.)

The thing about socialism, liberalism, Christianity, Islam, atheism, etc. is that anyone can adopt the mantle. Just as no one seriously believes Ander Breivik represents Christianity, no serious person thinks Stalin represents Marxism. Mao is no more a metonym for atheism, than Hitler is for Catholicism.

If, however, you're not sure why almost every American socialist and communist rejected the Soviet Union as a model of collectivism, then read Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago.

Why this is progressive/liberal: While Americans pat themselves on the back for their commitment to the concepts of liberty, the truth is we imprison a higher percentage of our population than any nation on Earth. While our prison system isn't as devastating as Stalin's work camps, reading these books might hit closer to home than you'd like.

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338: Orientalism by Edward Said

Orientalism by Edward Said

Said's Orientalism is a cornerstone text in postcolonial studies. Much of western civilization's understanding of non-western cultures is based on studying interpretations of that culture rather than studying that culture. Said authoritatively demonstrates how the west's profound misunderstanding of the "Orient" colors real-world interaction between the east and west. If you want to understand how we unthinkingly make assumptions about cultural "others", read this book.

Why this is progressive/liberal: While conservatives all too frequently label progressives as collectivists, progressives are generally hesitant to attribute the actions of a small portion of a group to the entire group (i.e. make arguments based on collectivist identity). For example, progressives are more likely to say that Muslim terrorists are terrorists who happen to be Muslim, whereas the political right is more inclined to say that because some Muslims are terrorists, then Islam must be held accountable. Said explains why arguments based on collectivist identities are often incorrect.

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339: For the Common Defense by Allan Millett & Peter Maslowski

For the Common Defense by Allan Millett & Peter Maslowski

Progressives who never served in the military tend to overestimate its conservative population. Progressives who have served in the military tend to accept the self-serving nature of the propaganda they received while training. Millett and Maslowski's tremendous one-volume history of the US military provides an important background helpful to both camps.

In order to understand why the laws governing the military are the way they are it's important to understand the role of the militia in the pre-Revolutionary era. Millett and Maslowski start with the first militia at Jamestown and carry through with the development of the American-style militia until the Revolutionary War. The history of the militia, and not wanting to have a standing army like the British, deeply influenced the structure of the US military in those early days. The latest editions of the book continue the history of the US military until Desert Storm.

The reason we have a second amendment is not so that we can overthrow the government if it becomes tyrannical. The reason we have a second amendment is so that we can keep our standing army small, and still have the firepower to repel an invasion if necessary.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Too often of late the conservative elements of our society claim legitimacy for their ideas by quoting our revolutionary forebears out of context. Progressives need to be able to counter these distortions with well-researched facts, arguments, and evidence. For the Common Defense helps provide much of that information when it comes to the military.

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340: Holy Texts

The Qur'an, The Bhagavad Gita, The Analects of Confucius, and The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

Go to the source. Instead of trusting the conflicting interpretations you hear about religion it's better to read the actual book. In November I'll have a post about the Bible. In the meantime check out the works listed here.

Why this is progressive/liberal: There are many progressive ideas in all the various holy texts, just as there are many conservative ideas, shocking ideas, moral tales, and notes of grace. Consider this an educational moment for the progressive rather than an explanation of progressive philosophy.

Buy the Kindle versions: The Qur'an, Bhagavad-gita, The Analects of Confucius, and The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu.

341: The Tangled Bank by Carl Zimmer

The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution by Carl Zimmer

Regardless of our ideological persuasion we often accept certain beliefs because of the authority of those who first exposed us to the idea. We chose faith over science because we trusted our parents and our priest. We chose science over faith because we trusted our parents and our middle school chemistry teacher.

We may self-identify as science-loving progressives, but still not be sure why intelligent design shouldn't be taught alongside the theory of natural selection.

Here's why - one of the foundational elements of science is its predictive ability. The theory of evolution has correctly predicted quite a few biological discoveries.

If your interpretation of the natural world is correct, you should be able to predict what's going to happen next. We landed a satellite on Mars because science and math helped us understand the orbit of the planets and the gravity of the sun. We didn't just keep shooting machines into the sky until we got lucky. We used science.

The theory of evolution does not address the origin of life. Nor should it be dismissed because of the word "theory." Rejecting the theory of gravity does not make gravity vanish. Nor does rejecting the theory of evolution make all the evidence supporting it vanish.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Progressives want to see the role of citizenship expanded to as many people in the population as possible. Democracy, however, is no guarantee for honorable, successful, or ethical government. The best possible government comes from a population with the best possible education. The best possible education gives you the tools to predict the results of your actions. There's no such thing as perfect prediction, but every little bit helps. For several hundred years now science has proven itself a better predictor of the natural world than religion. To understand the biological sciences you need to understand evolution.

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And, while we're on the topic of evolution, let me also recommend The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins, Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement edited by John Brockman, and The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin.

342: Indian Givers by Jack Weatherford

Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World by Jack Weatherford

Weatherford may occasionally overstate the case for Indian influence on Western Europeans. But not by much. Of all the dark chapters in the history of colonialism the decimation of the people living in the Western hemisphere when Europeans arrived is one of the darkest.

Weatherford systematically reviews the key gifts those early Christians received from the different Indian nations. He argues that it was the abundant silver found in South America that tipped Europe into capitalism. The Iroquois Confederacy helped inspire and shape the US Constitution. The superior agricultural science of the Indians fundamentally changed the diet of Europe.

And in return for all of these treasures, what did the white Christians do for the Indians?

Why this is progressive/liberal: If you think you're already the pinnacle of civilization then there's no reason for progress. And if you think things were even better in the old days, then there's even less reason for progressive measures. If you think the genocidal annihilation of hundreds of independent nations is wrong, and you see much of the same cultural attitudes at work today, then you're beginning to understand why some people clamor for progress.

While I'm at it, let me also recommend Weatherford's works on Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, and The History of Money.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World

343: Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson

Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism by Benedict Anderson

What does it mean to be an American? Or, for that matter, what does it mean to be Canadian, Mexican, Australian, or Chinese? When we identify with a nation what exactly are we identifying with? And how were those identities created?

In this groundbreaking book Benedict Anderson argues that nations and nationalism are rooted in print capitalism. Our allegiance to our national identity is different now than regional identification was hundreds of years ago.

The nation is a different kind of community based on socially constructed values rather than face-to-face interaction.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Progressives are often a little uncomfortable around knee-jerk nationalism, but can't always articulate why. This book helps explain some of the reasons for this discomfort. Anderson, however, is not wholly anti-nation. Rather, he is a thoughtful historian exploring the history of a concept, and doing his best to explain how an idea like nationalism came about.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism

A Little More About This Project

It occurred to me one day not too long ago that creating annotated lists brings me great joy. It seems like everything I've enjoyed doing over the last decade involves some form of annotated list-making.

I loved studying history in school. One of the keys to writing good research is creating an annotated bibliography.

One of my favorite tasks as a librarian is collection development. To develop a collection I create an annotated list of works I think give a sound overview of a topic.

I'm a hobbyist blogger. A blog is really not much more than an annotated list in sequential date order.

A few months after I got a job as a librarian I began thinking more deeply about reference works. Someone has to write them, could I be one of those someone's? The task seemed daunting and beyond the scope of my skills. Still, I found the idea appealing.

In June 2011 it occurred to me that I might be able to combine my love of annotating lists with my interest in creating a reference work with my knowledge of blogging. This blog is the result and I consider it an experiment in drafting a reference work.

I chose progressive politics as a subject because it's a familiar topic. So far it's been working out well. If this process continues to work for me I can see using this strategy for drafting future reference works.

Once this blog is completed at the end of June 2012, I should have the raw material to put together a reference guide to works on progressive politics. We'll see how it all works out, but in the meantime I'll use this space for a few moments each day to point out books I hope you find interesting.

Thanks for reading! And if you have any recommendations for titles I should mention, leave a comment.

344: The World Is Not For Sale by Jose Bove

The World Is Not for Sale: Farmers Against Junk Food by Jose Bove

On August 12, 1999 Jose Bove and a group of protesters destroyed a half-built McDonald's restaurant in Millau, France.

Bove and his confederates engaged in this bit of vandalism to bring attention to the encroaching dangers of globalization. According to Bove corporations like McDonald's endangered local farmers, local culture, and the health and wealth of French citizens. Bove's attack on McDonald's brought international recognition to progressive criticisms of non-democratic global trade organizations.

In addition to being a long-time activist for progressive causes Bove is also a farmer. In 1999 the United States placed a punitive tariff on the import of Rocquefort cheese because Europe didn't want to import American beef full of hormones and other artificial chemicals. Bove made his living from raising the sheep that provided the milk that made Rocquefort cheese. He saw McDonald's (a beneficiary of the imported beef deal) as directly affecting his livelihood. He and his fellow farmers destroyed the half-constructed building to bring attention to this injustice.

Bove has led a colorful and political life. He is currently a member of the European Parliament, representing Europe Écologie.

Why this is progressive/liberal: The progressive criticism of organizations like the WTO, NAFTA, and the IMF is that they are anti-democratic. The WTO negotiated the deal on importing hormone-laden beef into Europe, not the citizens of Europe. This book tells the story of Bove's symbolic strike against McDonald's and explains why it's important to fight against corporate control of local political decisions.

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345: Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick

Perhaps this book should have gone into the collection I've assembled for Conservative Month, or maybe I should have put together a collection for Libertarian month. Regardless, this book is important for progressives to understand, so they can better understand the arguments of Libertarians who argue for a smaller government.

This is a perfect companion piece to the more progressive A Theory of Justice by John Rawls.

In this well-argued, though somewhat dense, work of political philosophy, Nozick concludes that the government that governs least governs best. (While Nozick is in favor of small government, he does not support the anarchist dream of no government.)

There are many points where liberal political philosophy and libertarian political philosophy overlap, and many places in this book where liberals and progressives will find themselves nodding their heads in agreement.

However, progressives respond that Nozick is naive, ahistorical, and somewhat cold-hearted when it comes to human suffering.

A common adage among Libertarians is that a government big enough to give you anything you want is a government big enough to take away everything you have.

The progressive response is that a corporation big enough to give you anything you want is a corporation big enough to take away everything you have. To avoid corporate control of the political system it is essential that the government be larger than the corporation. This can happen either by having big business and big government, or by having small businesses and small government. When corporations are more powerful than the government then it become easy for them to take the reigns of government out of the hands of the people.

Note that Nozick eventually backed away from some of the arguments he made in this book:

"The libertarian position I once propounded," Nozick wrote in an essay published in the late '80s, "now seems to me seriously inadequate."

Why this is progressive/liberal: It isn't, but it's an important argument for progressives to understand.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: Anarchy, State, And Utopia

346: Moral Politics by George Lakoff

Moral Politics : How Liberals and Conservatives Think by George Lakoff

In this book Lakoff argues that liberals and conservatives have fundamentally different ways of understanding the world and politics. According to Lakoff we understand the complex role of government through the metaphors of family. For conservatives that metaphor includes a strict father model that emphasizes discipline and self-reliance. For liberals that metaphor emphasizes the nurturant parent model that creates a safe environment.

Lakoff's work isn't a perfect answer for the differences between conservatives and liberals, but is an important piece of the puzzle.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Lakoff offers an explanation for the strong differences between liberals and conservatives. Understanding these philosophical differences can go a long way in helping to decipher the other side's argument.

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347: Liberty by Isaiah Berlin

Liberty: Incorporating Four Essays on Liberty by Isaiah Berlin

Isaiah Berlin's essay "Two Concepts of Liberty" is essential to understanding contemporary debates surrounding the concept of political freedom.

The two concepts of liberty in Berlin's essay are the "freedom from" and the "freedom to."

"Freedom from" is the freedom from coercion. Berlin calls this negative liberty because it is the absence of obstacles (like government regulations or laws). This is a readily understood definition of liberty, and it is the one embraced by liberals and libertarians alike. Citizens should have the freedom from unwanted government intrusion.

More importantly to the understanding of liberal and progressive values is Berlin's concept of positive liberty. Positive liberty is the "freedom to" pursue and achieve your goals in life.

Berlin points out that these two types of liberty can sometimes be at odds with each other. For example - the freedom to get an education might rely on a public school, which relies on taxation, a form of government coercion.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Berlin's essay is not a full-throated defense of positive liberty. In fact, he is sometimes quite critical of positive liberty. Nonetheless, it is an important distinction, and an argument with which every progressive should be familiar.

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Who Is a Progressive? by Teddy Roosevelt

In addition to recommending books I will also be including some interstitial material that helps define progressivism. The following is a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.

Since Roosevelt moved into the presidency after McKinley's assassination, and then was elected to a term, he decided to forego running for another term in 1908. However, he was disappointed with Taft's presidency and in 1912 Roosevelt joined other progressive Republicans to form the Progressive Party. The Progressive Party platform is surprisingly relevant a century later, and reflects many of the issues important to today's liberals and progressives.

The following is an excerpt from Roosevelt's speech "Who Is a Progressive?" He gave this speech in response to President Taft referring to himself as a progressive. Roosevelt wanted to make a clear distinction between himself and Taft, and between progressives and reactionaries. In this speech Roosevelt also speaks to the importance of allowing citizens to directly elect the Senators from their state. It was only with the seventeenth amendment to the US constitution, passed in 1913, that citizens were allowed to directly elect the US senators from their state.

Every man who fights fearlessly and effectively against special privilege in any form is to that extent a Progressive. Every man who, directly or indirectly, upholds privilege and favors the special interests, whether he acts from evil motives or merely because he is puzzle-headed or dull of mental vision or lacking in social sympathy, or whether he simply lacks interest in the subject, is a reactionary.

Every man is to that extent a Progressive if he stands for any form of social justice, whether it securing proper protection for factory girls against dangerous machinery, for securing a proper limitation of hours of labor for women and children in industry, for securing proper living conditions for those who dwell in the thickly crowded regions of our great cities, for helping, so far as legislators can help, all the conditions of work and life for wage-workers in great centers of industry, or for helping by the action both of the National and State governments, so far as conditions will permit, the men and women who dwell in the open country to increase their efficiency both in production on their farms and in business arrangements for the marketing of their produce, and also to increase the opportunities to give the best possible expression to their social life. The man is a reactionary, whatever may be his professions and no matter how excellent his intentions, who opposes these movements, or who, if in high place, takes no interest in them and does not earnestly lead them forward.

348: Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington

Students of the modern Civil Rights movement understand there is a sharp difference between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Both are important, even iconic, but on many issues they simply didn't agree.

W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington played similar roles at the beginning of the 20th century. Both are important icons of black empowerment in the early progressive era, but on many issues they didn't see eye-to-eye.

Du Bois disparagingly called Washington "the Great Accomodator," and criticized his willingness to accept certain elements of segregation. The Black Power movement of the 1960s saw in Washington much of what was wrong in previous Civil Rights battles. Washington's advocacy for slow and methodical change was seen by many as weakness and willingness to accept second-class citizenship.

This may be, but Washington was a tremendous organizer, and through his deft skills of negotiation and diplomacy was able to create a powerful network of political influence.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Progressives embrace multi-culturalism and diversity. To understand the diversity in the US it is important to understand the histories of the many different cultures within the US borders. Black history didn't start with Martin Luther King, Jr. and can't be contained within Black History Month. Booker T. Washington played an important role in the racial politics of post-slavery America and every progressive should know his story.

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Here's a free Kindle version: Up from Slavery: an autobiography

349: Nature's Justice by William O. Douglas

Nature's Justice: Writings of William O. Douglas

Longtime liberal stalwart on the Supreme Court William O. Douglas was a passionate defender of the environment. He was also a fierce protector of liberal values, like the right to privacy, the right to free speech

While he was an important voice for progressive causes throughout his career, he also served as the perfect foil for right-wing claims of judicial excess. Douglas was often willing to overlook precedent to emphasize his notions of justice. He was threatened with impeachment twice in his career, and his opponents saw him as a womanizing, gambling, slightly corrupt ally of pornographers and dissidents.

A few of these criticisms are even fair. Regardless of the turbulence of his personal life, and his sometimes questionable judgment, Douglas remains one of the high points of liberal values in the nation's highest court.

Why this is progressive/liberal: In addition to reading Douglas's arguments for protecting the environment this work also collects some of his more notable court opinions, and essays about politics and justice.

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350: Confronting Collapse by Mike Ruppert

Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post Peak Oil World by Mike Ruppert

"It's tough to make predictions. Especially about the future."

I've seen this quote attributed to both Neils Bohr and Yogi Berra, which somehow makes it even more appealing.

While I doubt Mike Ruppert would self-identity as a progressive, his persistent arguments that peak oil is a very real and pressing concern help explain why so many progressives advocate reducing our dependency on oil, and investing in renewable energies. There's plenty to criticize about Ruppert's predictions, but there's also plenty to make anyone who reads this book sit up and take notice.

Given that we don't have to rely on oil, and that every administration since Nixon has promised to get us off our oil dependence, progressives often feel pressured to trot out worst-case scenarios as a sort of last-resort attempt at persuasion.

Regardless of whether you are concerned about the collapse of civilization as Ruppert describes it, you still might want to ask yourself: With the consequences so potentially dire if we don't change our ways, why do we continue to engage in such risky behavior?

Why this is progressive/liberal: This is the progressives' idea of a worst-case scenario if we don't adopt more progressive strategies for changing the way we power our civilization.

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Buy the Kindle version: Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post Peak Oil World

351: Future Primitive by John Zerzan

Future Primitive: And Other Essays

In yesterday's post I mentioned that Apocalypse Culture includes an anti-technology anarchist. Today's recommendation is a book by that anti-technology anarchist -- John Zerzan.

Another point from yesterday's post that bears repeating is that learning about an idea, or encouraging others to learn about an idea, is not the same as condoning or supporting that idea. Personally, I'm not into Zerzan's brand of anarchy, but I think it's an important element of modern-day progressivism, and progressives and liberals would do well to better understand these fellow travelers.

Anarchists are often seen as the left of the left (Noam Chomsky, for example). This isn't strictly accurate since the free-market radical right also has its collection of anarchist thinkers (Murray Rothbard, for example). In fact, and perhaps not surprisingly, there are anarchists at the edge of almost every political school of thought.

John Zerzan, and other anarcho-primitivists like Derrick Jensen, argue that civilization as we know it is unsustainable and harmful to humanity. Anyone who's been involved in progressive community projects or organizing protests has probably run into some of these people.

If you want to know why the Environmental Liberation Front blows up Hummer dealerships, or why there is a "black bloc" coalition at major protest movements, check out this seminal work by Zerzan. Or, if want something not quite as old, check out Derrick Jensen's Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Primitivist anarchists (as well as other anarchists) often share similar goals as progressives and liberals. They also share many of the same critiques of undue corporate influence on our politics and culture. Since there are many projects on which anarchists and progressives work together, the progressive would do well to learn more about these potential allies.

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352: Apocalypse Culture by Adam Parfrey

Apocalypse Culture edited by Adam Parfrey

I don't know if Adam Parfrey considers himself a progressive. For all I know he might find the term offensive. But, I'm including his Apocalypse Culture here because it highlights controversial topics on the periphery of mainstream culture.

Parfrey runs Feral House publishing company. Feral House specializes in the obscure, the outre, and the offensive.

Apocalypse Culture will expose you to ideas well outside the mainstream, from anti-technology anarchists, to Satanists, to Pentecostals working immanentize the eschaton. The world outside what you see on television is probably weirder than you imagined.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Apocalypse Culture is a celebration of freedom of speech, and intellectual freedom, two core progressive values. Progressives are interested in the peripheral and the outcasts. Rather than condemning the other as not belonging in a "proper society" progressives learn about those who are different. Learning about something odd, scary, or wrong doesn't mean condoning it. But, for progressives, knowledge is more important than fear.

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353: Protecting Soldiers and Mothers by Theda Skocpol

Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in United States

One of the key elements missing from our national debate about national health care, and now social security, is why we even have these things in the first place. Skocpol traces the development of the social safety net from pensions for Civil War vets and widows, to worker's compensation for injury won by the progressive movement in the early 20th century. Her history stops before the New Deal of the 1930s.

This is a substantial work, and not without its flaws. However, it's fascinating to see how the debates surrounding health care periodically take center stage. If you're not used to reading dry, academic tomes you might want to check this out of the library before ordering.

Why this is progressive/liberal: The progressive side of the political spectrum has been advocating for increasing the government's role in health care for more than a century. Unfortunately, many progressives become tongue-tied when asked to defend these policies, other than noting that it is a humane policy followed by most nations. If you want to educate yourself about the reasons to have a strong social safety net when it comes to health care, start with its history.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in United States

354: Manifestoes by Janet Lyon & Manifesto by Mary Ann Caws

Manifestoes: Provocations of the Modern by Janet Lyon

Manifesto: A Century of Isms edited by Mary Ann Caws

Sometimes I think a manifesto is the only thing that can change the world. Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" and Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" helped launch the US Revolution while Marx & Engels's "The Communist Manifesto" permanently changed the political landscape of the 20th century.

Why this is progressive/liberal: While there are plenty of manifestoes that aren't particularly progressive I'm including these books because progressives are interested in changing the world. My advice? First step, write a manifesto.

355: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollenstonecraft

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and A Vindication of the Rights of Men

In the midst of the Enlightenment, as men busily created new governments to secure their liberties, they left out large parts of the population. No real slave could take seriously privileged land-owners comparing their plight to slavery, and many women argued that liberty is a human condition, and not meant solely for men.

One of the best of these arguments is Mary Wollenstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (a follow-up to her long essay on the "Rights of Men.")

It's important to remember that Wollenstonecraft wasn't the only woman making these arguments. This recommendation is meant to be representative of the Enlightenment-era arguments for women's rights, not an exhaustive list of those arguments.

These sorts of historical works are important since they remind us that the ideas important to progressives have been around for centuries, and will continue long after we pass away.

Why this is progressive/liberal: One measure of progress is the percentage of people allowed the rights and responsibilities of full citizenship. The progress of liberty in the United States has been one of continuously expanding that pool of people. From the abolitionists and people arguing that women should have full citizenship, to the current fight to allow same-sex partners the full rights of citizenship, equality of opportunity has been the guiding light of progressivism.

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Get the free Kindle version: Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Free Google book: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Get free e-book and audiobook versions at Project Gutenberg.



Trivia: Mary Wollenstonecraft is the mother of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

356: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was the first president elected in post-apartheid South Africa. (If you're unfamiliar with apartheid, check out Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane). Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his leadership role in the African National Congress.

Just before his imprisonment Mandela became a key leader of the faction of ANC willing to use violence to end apartheid, abandoning the Ghandian principles of non-violence that the broader party embraced.

For conservatives, this willingness to use violence against a government friendly to the US, made the ANC a terrorist organization. For progressives, the threat of violence was a reasonable response to the wide-spread oppression faced by black people in South Africa. Conservatives don't always see the use of violence as the work of terrorism. After the first Iraq war the Kurds were urged to rise up violently against Saddam Hussein by conservatives in the US.

The difference between conservatives and progressives on this point seems to be this -- For progressives violence is acceptable if the human rights abuses are excessive, regardless of how it affects US business interests; for conservatives violence is acceptable if it furthers US business interests, but human rights issues alone are not enough to justify violent attacks against government.

Why this is progressive/liberal: In the 1980s the US political left and right were split over the issue of apartheid in South Africa. Progressives generally supported freeing Nelson Mandela and argued that US dollars should not go to support the apartheid regime. For conservatives like Dick Cheney, the African National Congress was a terrorist organization, and at least the apartheid government worked with US businesses. When he was a Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney appeared on ABC's "This Week." When asked about his vote supporting the apartheid government, Cheney responded "I don't have any problems at all with the vote I cast 20 years ago."

Many progressives got their start in the anti-apartheid campus protests and corporate boycotts of the 1980s.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

357: To the Castle and Back by Vaclav Havel

To the Castle and Back

An intellectual imprisoned for standing up for human rights, a leader of a non-violent revolution that toppled a tyrannical government, a liberal president that helped bring multi-party democracy to his nation, a poet and a playwright, and an intellectual. It's hard to find a more progressive figure in the 20th century than former Czech President Vaclav Havel.

To the Castle and Back is Havel's unconventional memoir of his ascent to the presidency and experience transitioning his nation from Soviet-style communism to European-style democracy. The castle of the title is the Prague castle where the kings, emperors, and presidents of the Czech nation have ruled for centuries.

Why this is progressive/liberal: This is a work that shows progressive values in action. There are better books explaining progressive theory and philosophy, but few that better represent the possibilities in fighting for progressive values.

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Buy the Kindle version of this book: To the Castle and Back

358: Richistan by Robert Frank

Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich

If you know that Frank is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal then you might suspect this to be a paean to the titans of capitalism as seen through their luxury goods. And in some ways you'd be right. Frank's writing is often breezy, and much of this work reads as a tour guide through the lifestyles of our new class of the super-wealthy. (For a more substantive look at this same topic see Winner-Take-All Politics by Hacker and Pierson.)

That's not to say Frank is an airhead. He's a smart writer with special access and interest in an important and influential subset of our nation. It's also satisfying to reach points where even the sympathetic Frank is stunned by the excesses he sees, perhaps the most absurd being the yacht with its own yacht.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Fighting the super-wealthy has been a progressive past-time for over a century in the United States. In fact, the platform for the 1912 Progressive Party (back when Progressives came out of the Republican Party) focuses on reigning in the excess of the uber-rich.

"To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day."

The battle continues today. Does the country belong to all of its citizens, or only the most wealthy?

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359: Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

Liberals are always yammering on about how screwed up US foreign policy is. If you want to know what they're talking about read this book.

Kinzer details the US's involvement in overthrowing the government of fourteen different nations. He starts with Hawaii in 1893 and ends with Iraq in 2003. Along the way Kinzer demonstrates how US business interests always seem to come out ahead in these interventions, often doing better than the population under the new regime.

While this book deals with historical events it's not a work of history in the strictest sense. Kinzer neglects the first century of American intervention, ignores other imperialist powers, and fails to make an overarching argument for why US history has unfolded this way.

Why this book is progressive/liberal: One of the biggest and most substantial criticisms progressives level against the US is its hypocritical foreign policy. For a nation that supposedly embraces democracy, rule of law, and liberty we sure spend a lot of time and effort denying those ideas to people in other nations. Progressives argue that our foreign policy should reflect our values. We should support democratic governments over autocratic governments, and we should side with the people in civil wars instead of the tyrants.

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360: Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud

Civilization, Society and Religion: Group Psychology, Civilization and Its Discontents and Other Works (Penguin Freud Library Volume 12)

There is a perceived tension in modern day liberalism between "classical liberalism," which advocates for individual rights, and "social liberalism" which advocates for strengthening social institutions. This tension is the tension between the freedom "from" and the freedom "to." As individuals we want freedom from coercion. But, we also want the freedom to get an education (for example).

It is generally the desire for this second freedom, the freedom that comes with health, education, and living in a pollution-free environment, that distinguishes progressives from libertarians.

Freud examines this tension in Civilization and Its Discontents.

Because society places some constraints on its citizens we can never be perfectly free. While we may have a monster inside us (the Id, according to Freud) that doesn't care where it shits, who it hurts, and wants what it wants right now, that part of us will always be disappointed when it has to exist with other people.

So, since perfect freedom only comes with perfect isolation, we will always be dissatisfied with our civilizing institutions. And, since we are social animals and we will never want to live in isolation, we will always create civilizations to make us happy.

Why this is progressive/liberal: This paradox is at the core of progressive thought. While much of Freud's research has been supplanted in the 20th century, there's no questioning the influence of his thought. It's a shame that authors like Freud (or Marx or Darwin) are often dismissed by contemporary readers because they are perceived as "too hard." Freud may not spoon-feed the reader his ideas, but his work is probably not as hard to follow as you might imagine.

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361: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

The Feminine Mystique

The Feminine Mystique is often used as shorthand for the beginning of second-wave feminism.

First wave feminism is the 19th century movement that brought women the right to own property, the right to keep bank accounts in their name, the right to inherit property, and culminated (in the US) with the right to vote in 1920.

According to the typical narrative feminism took a nap during the next forty years, except for a short break to do all the men's jobs while the men-folk were off fighting WWII.

Second wave feminism took off with Friedan's critique about women's self-actualization since they achieved so-called equality. Friedan wasn't alone wondering if this was all there was. The demographic bulge of the baby-boom generation, combined with the most effective birth control for sexually active women in history, launched the second wave of feminism. Second-wave feminism brought the term Ms. into the mainstream, pointed out the glass ceiling for women, and clearly described the depths of male privilege.

Why this is progressive/liberal: There's more to citizenship than the right to vote. Friedan's work set the stage for the evolution in women's fight for equal rights. Many erroneous assumptions about female worth and ability are deeply embedded into our culture. Friedan blazed the trail that a generation of scholars and activists followed. These second wave feminists demonstrated that despite the victories of first wave feminism women were (and to some degree still are) considered second-class citizens.

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362: The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens

The Trial of Henry Kissinger

Christopher Hitchens's embrace of the global war on terror was the final straw for many progressives.

Over the course of his life, however, Hitch has been a contrary voice for progress. One of his most important progressive works, and the book that caused progressives in the US (that didn't regularly read The Nation) to start sitting up and taking notice of this firebrand from across the pond was The Trial of Henry Kissinger.

His work on Kissinger introduced many progressives to his earlier evisceration of Mother Teresa (The Missionary Position), thereby sealing his bad boy status. While Hitchens has moved to the right over the course of his long career he still considers himself a Marxist and very much a part of the radical left.

Most recently Hitchens has been on the forefront of the atheist resurgence. This carefully considered rejection of superstition and embrace of science comes during the most challenging time of Hitchens's long and successful career -- his battle with esophageal cancer.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Hitchens's careful analysis of Kissinger's perceived war crimes is an excellent introduction to problems progressives have with American foreign policy.

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363: Censored 2011 - The Annual Edition of Censored Stories by Project Censored

Censored 2011: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2009-10 (Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories)

The year is not complete until Project Censored releases their book-length analysis of the previous year's censored stories.

Technically, most of the stories covered by Project Censored are not censored, merely grossly under-reported stories according to the progressive sensibilities of its editors.

The 2011 edition covers global pollution by the US military machine, Internet privacy, abuse of immigrant workers, and corporate welfare (among other issues).

Project Censored has been publishing these annual editions since 1976. While it may not be in my best interest to be critical of works I'm trying to hawk, it's possible PC was a lot more relevant in the pre-Internet years. These days anyone interested in the ongoing saga of Blackwater (Xe) or egregious pollution by global industry can probably better follow those stories on the Web. However, it's always worthwhile to check in on the topics followed by this venerable progressive institution.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Project Censored provides an overview of some of the topics most important to progressives in a given year. Pollution and theft by big business remains one of the most pressing issues after more than 30 years.

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364: The Apotheosis of Captain Cook by Gananath Obeyesekere & How "Natives" Think: About Captain Cook, For Example by Marshall Sahlins

The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific by Gananath Obeyesekere.

&

How "Natives" Think: About Captain Cook, For Example by Marshall Sahlins.

Today's post is actually a recommendation of two books. The Apotheosis of Captain Cook by Gananath Obeyesekere and How "Natives" Think: About Captain Cook, For Example by Marshall Sahlins.

These two books are in conversation with each other. The debate between Obeyesekere and Sahlins is an example of what substantive debate between two notable scholars looks like.

Princeton University Press's description of Obeyesekere's book:

"Here Gananath Obeyesekere debunks one of the most enduring myths of imperialism, civilization, and conquest: the notion that the Western civilizer is a god to savages. Using shipboard journals and logs kept by Captain James Cook and his officers, Obeyesekere reveals the captain as both the self-conscious civilizer and as the person who, his mission gone awry, becomes a "savage" himself.

"In this new edition of The Apotheosis of Captain Cook, the author addresses, in a lengthy afterword, Marshall Sahlins's 1994 book, How "Natives" Think, which was a direct response to this work."

Sahlins' response is essentially: How do you know what natives think? From the University of Chicago Press:

"When Western scholars write about non-Western societies, do they inevitably perpetuate the myths of European imperialism? Can they ever articulate the meanings and logics of non-Western peoples? Who has the right to speak for whom? Questions such as these are among the most hotly debated in contemporary intellectual life. In How "Natives" Think, Marshall Sahlins addresses these issues head on, while building a powerful case for the ability of anthropologists working in the Western tradition to understand other cultures.

"In recent years, these questions have arisen in debates over the death and deification of Captain James Cook on Hawai'i Island in 1779. Did the Hawaiians truly receive Cook as a manifestation of their own god Lono? Or were they too pragmatic, too worldly-wise to accept the foreigner as a god? Moreover, can a "non-native" scholar give voice to a "native" point of view? In his 1992 book The Apotheosis of Captain Cook, Gananath Obeyesekere used this very issue to attack Sahlins's decades of scholarship on Hawaii. Accusing Sahlins of elementary mistakes of fact and logic, even of intentional distortion, Obeyesekere portrayed Sahlins as accepting a naive, enthnocentric idea of superiority of the white man over "natives"—Hawaiian and otherwise. Claiming that his own Sri Lankan heritage gave him privileged access to the Polynesian native perspective, Obeyesekere contended that Hawaiians were actually pragmatists too rational and sensible to mistake Cook for a god.

"Curiously then, as Sahlins shows, Obeyesekere turns eighteenth-century Hawaiians into twentieth-century modern Europeans, living up to the highest Western standards of "practical rationality." By contrast, Western scholars are turned into classic custom-bound "natives", endlessly repeating their ancestral traditions of the White man's superiority by insisting Cook was taken for a god. But this inverted ethnocentrism can only be supported, as Sahlins demonstrates, through wholesale fabrications of Hawaiian ethnography and history—not to mention Obeyesekere's sustained misrepresentations of Sahlins's own work. And in the end, although he claims to be speaking on behalf of the "natives," Obeyesekere, by substituting a home-made "rationality" for Hawaiian culture, systematically eliminates the voices of Hawaiian people from their own history.

"How "Natives" Think goes far beyond specialized debates about the alleged superiority of Western traditions. The culmination of Sahlins's ethnohistorical research on Hawaii, it is a reaffirmation for understanding difference."

Why this is liberal/progressive: This is an awesome debate and by the end you probably won't know which side is more right. And this is why it's on the list. Liberals and progressives are more comfortable with uncertainty. And science is riddled with uncertainty. If you think it's always easy to tell who's right and who's wrong do yourself a favor and read these two books back to back. (Or rather, read Obeyesekere, then Sahlins, then Obeyesekere's new afterward responding to Sahlins's argument.)

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365: On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

I've arranged this list to be in a more-or-less random order. It is a happy coincidence that John Stuart Mill's essay "On Liberty" is the first book on this blog.

While raised by his father to be an intellectual heavy-weight, and to promote the philosophy of utilitarianism, Mill tempered some of this Enlightenment-era rationality with help of his conservative friends Samuel Coleridge and Thomas Carlyle.

Based on his own experience with depression Mill re-defined the meaning of happiness in the utilitarian philosophy. For Mill's father and Jeremy Bentham happiness was a form of hedonistic pleasure. For Mill, influenced by the Romantic writings of his era, happiness meant more than mere pleasure. Happiness could spring from virtue and moderation as well as sex and wealth.

In "On Liberty" Mill clearly states his argument that humanity progresses. Humanity has a responsibility to create a better, happier world.

"He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold his deliberate decision. And these qualities he requires and exercises exactly in proportion as the part of his conduct which he determines according to his own judgment and feelings is a large one. It is possible that he might be guided in some good path, and kept out of harm's way, without any of these things. But what will be his comparative worth as a human being?"

One of the most important responsibilities for Mill's version of the progressive is to take responsibility for himself (and herself, Mill was a champion of women's rights), and by extension, to take responsibility for his/her community and government.

Don't be put off by Mill's unwieldy writing. While his writing is enough to give fits to modern-day readers, his ideas are still an essential component of progressivism.

Why this is liberal/progressive: Mill's arguments for intellectual freedom and freedom of assembly are essential for understanding modern day progressives. Both protesting and unions are rooted in the concept of freedom of assembly, and the fight for intellectual freedom is championed by progressive organizations like the American Library Association and the ACLU. Mill's argument for the "harm principle" (I should be free to do it as long as it harms no one else) explains why victimless crimes (prostitution, marijuana use, etc.) should be decriminalized. Some libertarians and "classical" liberals might claim that modern-day liberalism has lost the lead on advocating for individual liberties. But, note that Mill's guiding light is to do what's best for society. It just so happens that strong protections for individual liberties are what's best for society as a whole.

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On Liberty (Optimized for Kindle)