In Defense of Tradition: Collected Shorter Writings of Richard M. Weaver, 1929–1963

by Richard M. Weaver

Overview

Richard M. Weaver, a thinker and writer celebrated for his unsparing diagnoses and realistic remedies for the ills of our age, is known largely through a few of his works that remain in print.

This new collection of Weaver’s shorter writings, assembled by Ted J. Smith III, Weaver’s leading biographer, presents many long-out-of-print and never-before-published works that give new range and depth to Weaver’s sweeping thought.

Ted J. Smith III was Professor of Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780865972834
Publisher:	Liberty Fund, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/30/2001
Pages:	861
Sales rank:	1,126,488
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction xi Section 1: Life and Family
‘‘The Weaver Family of North Carolina: The Prospectus of a History’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 3
‘‘Address of Dr. Richard M. Weaver, Chicago University’’ 9
‘‘The Pattern of a Life’’ 13
‘‘Kentucky,’’ in ‘‘A Panorama of Peace: A Symposium’’ 17
Clifford Amyx and Richard Weaver, ‘‘Looking Over the Magazines,’’ 7/24/31 19
Clifford Amyx and Richard Weaver, ‘‘Looking Over the Magazines,’’ 7/31/31 22
Clifford Amyx and Richard Weaver, ‘‘Looking Over the Magazines,’’ 8/7/31 25
Clifford Amyx and Richard Weaver, ‘‘Looking Over the Magazines,’’ 8/14/31 28
Clifford Amyx and Richard Weaver, ‘‘Looking Over the Magazines,’’ 8/21/31 31
‘‘Up from Liberalism’’ 33
‘‘William Maury Mitchell’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 51 Section 2: The Critique of Modernity
‘‘Humanism in an Age of Science” (ed. Robert Hamlin) 61
‘‘Individuality and Modernity’’ 73
‘‘Life without Prejudice’’ 88
Relativism and the Crisis of Our Times 97
Reflections of Modernity 105
‘‘Review of Henry Steele Commager, The American Mind ’’ 120
‘‘Introduction’’ to William James, Pragmatism (selections) 123
‘‘Puritanism and Determinism’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 128
‘‘Review of Charles A. Lindbergh, Of Flight and Life” 132
‘‘Impact of Society o Mr. Russell’’ 134
‘‘Easy Conclusion’’ 137
‘‘On Social Science’’ 139
‘‘Social Science in Excelsis’’ 141
‘‘Science and Sentimentalism’’ 144
‘‘Editor’s Mail’’ 147
‘‘Culture and Reconstruction’’ 148
‘‘Proud ‘City of God’’’ 152
‘‘Cold Comfort’’ 154
‘‘Dilemma of the Intellectual’’ 155
‘‘A Hobble for Pegasus’’ 158
‘‘A Further Testament’’ 161 Section 3: Education
‘‘Education: Reflections On’’ 167
‘‘Colleges and Universities’’ 176
Education and the Individual 184
Academic Freedom: The Principle and the Problems 200
The Role of Education in Shaping Our Society 212
‘‘To Write the Truth’’ 228
Manuel Bilsky, McCrea Hazlett, Robert E. Streeter, and Richard M. Weaver, ‘‘Looking for an Argument’’ 236
‘‘Weaver Discusses English Course’’ 244
‘‘And for Yale’’ 247
‘‘From Poetry to Bitter Fruit’’ 248
‘‘Mr. Hutchins as Prophet’’ 252
‘‘Flesh for a Skeleton’’ 256
‘‘Safe for a While’’ 258
‘‘Informed and Urbane’’ 260
‘‘Education for What?’’ 262
‘‘History or Special Pleading?’’ 264
Section 4: Rhetoric and Sophistic
‘‘‘Parson’ Weems: A Study in Early American Rhetoric’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 273
‘‘Responsible Rhetoric” (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 290
‘‘Propaganda’’ 300
‘‘The Best of Everything’’ 312
‘‘Concealed Rhetoric in Scientistic Sociology’’ 317
‘‘The Lincoln –Douglas Debates’’ 332
‘‘The Cultural Role of Rhetoric’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 336
‘‘Language Is Sermonic’’ 353 Section 5: The Humanities, Literature, and Language
‘‘The Humanities in a Century of the Common Man’’ 373
‘‘Etiology of the Image’’ 385
‘‘Relativism and the Use of Language’’ 389
‘‘The Importance of Cultural Freedom’’ 405
‘‘Introduction’’ to James L. Weil, Logarhythms 422
‘‘Realism and the Local Color Interlude’’ (ed. George Core) 427
‘‘Review of The Larger Rhetorical Patterns in Anglo-Saxon Poetry ‘‘Review of Robert Rylee, The Ring and the Cross ’’ 433
‘‘Review of Ward Moore, Greener Than You Think ’’ 435
‘‘Review of Hermann Broch, The Sleepwalkers ’’ 437
‘‘Review of George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays ’’ 439 ‘‘Language and the Crisis of Our Time’’ 441
‘‘Christian Letters’’ 443
‘‘A Moral in a Word’’ 448
‘‘Modern Letters Con and Pro’’ 450 Section 6: Politics
Stuart Gerry Brown, Aaron Director, and Richard M. Weaver, ‘‘Who Are Today ’s Conservatives?’’ 457
‘‘The Prospects of Conservatism’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 468
‘‘Conservatism and Libertarianism: The Common Ground’’ 476
‘‘Conservatism and Liberalism’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 483
‘‘On Liberty’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 495
‘‘How to Argue the Conservative Cause’’ (ed. Ted J. Smith III) 496
‘‘Review of Bertrand de Jouvenel, On Power: Its Nature and the
History of Its Growth ’’ 512
‘‘Battle for the Mind’’ 516
‘‘A Program for Conservatives’’ 518
‘‘Review of Arthur A. Ekirch, Jr., The Decline of American Liberalism ’’ 520
‘‘Which Ancestors?’’ 522
‘‘Review of Forrest McDonald, We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution ’’ 524
‘‘A Great Individualist’’ 528
‘‘Anatomy of Freedom’’ 532
‘‘The Middle of the Road: Where It Leads’’ 536
‘‘The Middle Way: A Political Meditation’’ 542
‘‘Roots of the Liberal Complacency’’ 547
‘‘Integration Is Communization’’ 555
‘‘On Setting the Clock Right’’ 559
‘‘Mass Plutocracy’’ 567
‘‘Review of Leo Baeck, The Pharisees and Other Essays ’’ 576
‘‘Review of Beatrice Webb, Our Partnership ’’ 578
‘‘Review of Samuel H. Beer, The City of Reason ’’ 580
‘‘Review of Daniel Bell (ed.), The New American Right ’’ 582
‘‘Illusions of Illusion’’ 584
‘‘Review of The Diary of Pierre Laval ’’ 590
‘‘Review of Herbert Feis, The Road to Pearl Harbor ’’ 593
‘‘Review of Ferdinand A. Hermens, Europe Between Democracy and Anarchy ’’ 596
‘‘Nehru: Philosopher, Prophet, Politician’’ 599
‘‘Review of Edward Crankshaw, Cracks in the Kremlin Wall ’’ 603
‘‘Review of Amaury de Riencourt, The Coming Caesars ’’ 605 Section 7: History
‘‘Liberalism with a Ballast’’ 611
‘‘Lord Acton: The Historian as Thinker’’ 619
‘‘Orbis Americarum’’ 633
‘‘Open All the Way’’ 638
‘‘The American as a Regenerate Being’’(ed. George Core and M. E. Bradford) 641
‘‘Anybody’s Guess’’ 654
‘‘Inglorious Exit’’ 656
‘‘Review of Samuel Flagg Bemis, John Quincy Adams and the Union, ’’ 658
‘‘The Western Star’’ 660
‘‘Trumpet-Tongued Foe of Coercion’’ 664
‘‘First in Peace’’ 667 Section 8:The South
‘‘The Anatomy of Southern Failure’’(ed. Ted J. Smith III) 673
‘‘Scholars or Gentlemen?’’ 683
‘‘History in a Dry Light’’ 692
‘‘The Land and the Literature’’ 699
‘‘The Regime of the South’’ 713
‘‘Two Diarists ’’(ed. Ted J. Smith III) 720
‘‘Misunderstood Man’’ 749
‘‘Person and Journalist’’ 751
‘‘Cotton Culture’’ 753
‘‘VU Prof. Explores Basic Human Issues’’ 755
‘‘VU Prof. Describes Fugitive-Agrarians’’ 757
‘‘Reconstruction: Unhealed Wound’’ 759
‘‘An Altered Stand’’ 762 Bibliography: Published Works of Richard M. Weaver 765
Index 775

Editorial Reviews

The Southern Essays of Richard M. Weaver (1987), goes far in rectifying that deficiency. Smith presents all of Weaver’s published shorter writings (except for those in The Southern Essays, and one early essay, apparently lost), plus eleven previously unpublished essays and speeches which were in nearly final form when Weaver died. Thus “all of Weaver’s published and significant unpublished writings except his composition texts are now available in book form”. . . .Handsomely crafted and superbly edited, In Defense of Tradition is an invaluable contribution to scholarship and to the study and understanding of one of conservatism’s greatest minds. More than that, it facilitates access to one of the most discerning and illuminating explorers of the modern human predicament. This landmark in conservative publishing belongs in the hands of every concerned observer of our time.

Modern Age
Spring 2003

From the Publisher