Forged during the tumultuous but triumphant postwar years when America came of age as a world power, The Irony of American History is more relevant now than ever before. Cited by politicians as diverse as Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Niebuhr’s masterpiece on the incongruity between personal idea...
Ezra highlighted Niebuhr's work as a warning about the dangers of power breeding selfrighteousness and the need for humility in American foreign policy.
"
The second is a book by Reinhold Niebuhr called The Irony of American History, and it's really all about the great danger when you are powerful of believing you are virtuous and believing that might i...
— Episode: The Civilization Trump Destroys May Be O...
Episode: The Civilization Trump Destroys May Be Our Own
Ezra highlighted Niebuhr's work as a warning about the dangers of power breeding selfrighteousness and the need for humility in American foreign policy.
"
The second is a book by Reinhold Niebuhr called The Irony of American History, and it's really all about the great danger when you are powerful of believing you are virtuous and believing that might is right, and the call for humility.
David Brooks mentioned a paragraph from this book that speaks to both the economic and political present, discussing how American opulence has perpetuated illusions about human nature and the unsustainable nature of economic expansion in solving social justice issues. It was discussed in relation to President Obama's policies and Niebuhr's influence on his thinking.
"
In one sense the opulence of American life has served to perpetuate Jeffersonian illusions about human nature. For we have thus far sought to solve all our problems by the expansion of our economy. Th...
— Episode: David Brooks and E.J. Dionne — Obama's T...
Episode: David Brooks and E.J. Dionne — Obama's Theologian:...
David Brooks mentioned a paragraph from this book that speaks to both the economic and political present, discussing how American opulence has perpetuated illusions about human nature and the unsustainable nature of economic expansion in solving social justice issues. It was discussed in relation to President Obama's policies and Niebuhr's influence on his thinking.
"
In one sense the opulence of American life has served to perpetuate Jeffersonian illusions about human nature. For we have thus far sought to solve all our problems by the expansion of our economy. This expansion cannot go on forever and ultimately we must face some vexatious issues of social justice.
We take and must continue to take morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization. We must exercise our power but we ought neither to believe that a nation is capable of perfect, disinterestedness in its exercise nor become complacent about particular degrees of interest and passion, which corrupt the justice by which the exercise of power is legitimatized
If we should perish the ruthlessness of the foe would only be the secondary cause of the disaster. The primary cause would be that the strength of a giant nation was directed by eyes to blind to see all the hazards of the struggle and the blindness would be induced not by some accident of nature or history but by hatred and vain glory.
Episode: [Unedited] David Brooks And E.J. Dionne With Krist...
Reinhold Niebuhr's 'The Irony of American History' was discussed extensively, with excerpts read and analyzed. The book's exploration of American life, the perpetuation of illusions about human nature, and the eventual confrontation with social justice issues were highlighted.
"
In one sense the opulence of American life has served to perpetuate Jeffersonian illusions about human nature for we have thus far sought to solve all our problems by the expansion of our economy. This expansion cannot go on forever and ultimately we must face some vexatious issues of social justice.
Episode: Paul Elie, Jean Bethke Elshtain, and Robin Lovin —...
This book contains a passage quoted at the end of the podcast, discussing the necessity of hope, faith, love, and forgiveness in the face of life's complexities and contradictions. The podcast discussed its key ideas and themes.
"
nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do however virtuous could be accomplished alone therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our own standpoint therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
Episode: Paul Elie, Jean Bethke Elshtain, and Robin Lovin —...
In this book, Niebuhr wrote that nothing worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime, and that we must be saved by hope, faith, love, and forgiveness.
"
nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do however virtuous could be accomplished alone therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our own standpoint therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.
