Overview

Originally published in 1948, at the height of post-World War II optimism and confidence in collective security, Ideas Have Consequences uses ""words hard as cannonballs"" to present an unsparing diagnosis of the ills of the modern age. Widely read and debated at the time of its first publication, the book is now seen as one of the foundational texts of the modern conservative movement. In its pages, Richard M. Weaver argues that the decline of Western civilization resulted from the rising acceptance of relativism over absolute reality. In spite of increased knowledge, this retreat from the realist intellectual tradition has weakened the Western capacity to reason, with catastrophic consequences for social order and individual rights. But Weaver also offers a realistic remedy. These difficulties are the product not of necessity, but of intelligent choice. And, today, as decades ago, the remedy lies in the renewed acceptance of absolute reality and the recognition that ideas--like actions--have consequences. This expanded edition of the classic work contains a foreword by New Criterion editor Roger Kimball that offers insight into the rich intellectual and historical contexts of Weaver and his work, and an afterword by Ted J. Smith III that relates the remarkable story of the book's writing and publication.

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9781538460023

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Reviews

""A historical, social, and moral examination of the modern world facing disorder and disintegration...A thoughtful, disturbed, and disturbing analysis, which cannot be taken lightly."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Brilliantly written, daring, and radical...It will shock, and philosophical shock is the beginning of wisdom."" -- ""Paul Tillich, theologian and existentialist philosopher"" ""First and foremost a book about the dissolution of the West...The prose exudes a wonderful anger. Not the defensive anger of the street fighter. Rather, the stuff of muses."" -- ""IntellectualConservative.com"" ""This deeply prophetic book not only launched the renaissance of political conservatism in this country, but in the process gave us an armory of insights into the diseases besetting the national community that is as timely today as when it first appeared. Ideas Have Consequences is one of the few authentic classics in the American political tradition."" -- ""Robert Nisbet, sociologist ""

Author Information

Richard M. Weaver (1910-1963) taught English at the University of Chicago and was a frequent contributor to Sewanee Review, Poetry, and Commonweal. He is also the author of The Ethics of Rhetoric, Rhetoric and Composition, and The Southern Tradition at Bay. Roger Kimball is editor and publisher of the New Criterion. He is author of Tenured Radicals: How Politics Has Corrupted Our Higher Education and editor of several books on art and politics. Frederick Davidson (1932-2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile's Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings. Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, as well as numerous Society of Voice Arts nominations. AudioFile magazine named him a Best Voice consecutively in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres. Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, as well as numerous Society of Voice Arts nominations. AudioFile magazine named him a Best Voice consecutively in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.

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