Sidney Hook on Pragmatism, Democracy, and Freedom: The Essential Essays

Sidney Hook was a preeminent philosopher from the 30's to the 80's, but his essays - from defences of secular humanism and the scientific method, to discourses on the problem with the idea of natural rights - sound like they could've been penned yesterday. This book is probably the best single collection of essays spanning Hook's career and diversity of interest. The first set of essays is on Deweyan pragmatism. Here we have classics like "Naturalism and First Principles", arguing that first principles are not as sacroasanct as philosophers think, "Pragmatism and the Tragic Sense of Life" and "The Place of Reason in an Age of Conflict" - both of which are refreshing reads in an age of absolutism, be it pacifism, Christian fundamentalism or any other trendy -ism floating around. Hook remins us that values can, do, and always will conflict. The place of philosophy is not to naively pretend that a 'system' can eradicate them, but to deal with ithe fact that no theory can. The next section is "Studies in Marxism" and while I can't say that there are any notable highlights here (as I'm nothing of a Marxist or sympathizer) one has to admire how Hook took a pragmatic view of Marxism and if anything, made a "historicist" doctrine a bit more feasible. The next two sections are on Democratic (1) theory and (2) practice. They include classics like "The Democratic Way of Life", "Are There Limits to Freedom of Expression" (where Hook pragmatically answers yes), "Conflicts in Ways of Belief", and for all you that thought Hook was a conservative, "A Critique of Conservatism". In an age where 'democracy' has been taken to mean everything from "freedom" to "equality" to "economic justice" to "fairness", Hook reminds us that democracy is a process and while they may achieve these things, they are synonymous with none of them. Respect for democracy as a process does not mean any particular results - it just means majioritarian representation (which in most cases is a good thing). The last section is "In Defense of a Free Society" which includes such notable essays as "Human Rights and Social Justice", "In Defense of the Cold War" and "The Intellectual in America". All in all, this is a great book. Whether you are just being introduced to Hook, increasing your knowledge of this wonderful thinker, need a brush up, or an expert, this book is an intellectual treat. A gadfly of our time, Hook had the eye of a hawk, the pen of a true intellectual, and the polemics of a champion.