[Polyarchy]  [Polyarchy : documents]

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[1899] Bernard Bosanquet, The Philosophical Theory of the State, Macmillan, London, Second Edition 1920
- Contents: Introduction to the Second Edition. I. Rise and Conditions of the Philosophical Theory of the State. II.Sociological Compared with Philosophical Theory. III. The Paradox of Political Obligation; Self-Government. IV. The Problem of Political Obligation More Radically Treated. V. The Conception of a "Real" Will. VI. The Conception of Liberty as Illustrated by the Forgoing Suggestions. VII. Psychological Illustration of the Idea of a Real or General Will. VIII. Nature of the End of the State and Consequent Limit of State Action. IX. Rousseau's Theory as Applied to the Modern State: Kant, Fichte, Hegel. X. The Analysis of a Modern State. Hegel's Philosophy of Right. XI. Institutions Considered as Ethical Ideas.
- Comment: It is strange to realize how even the theory that assigned to the state an ethical supreme role has been overcome by contemporary reality in which we still find the conviction of the irreplaceable role played by an almighty state.

[1938] Stuart Chase, The Tyranny of Words, Harcourt Brace, New York
- Contents: 1. A writer in search of his words. 2. A look around the modern world. 3. Inside and outside. 4. Cats and babies. 5. Primitive Peoples. 6. Pioneers I. 7. Pioneers II. 8. Meaning for scientists. 9. The language of mathematics. 10. Interpreting the environment. 11. The semantic discipline. 12 Promenade with the philosophers. 13. Turn with the logicians. 14. To the right with the economists. 15. To the left with the economists. 16. Swing your partners with the economists. 17. Round and round with the judges. 18. Stroll with the statesmen. 19. On facing the world outside. Appendix. Selected Bibliography.
- Comment: An interesting text on the manipulation of words and the corruption of thought.

[1947] Erich Fromm, Man for Himself, Routledge, London, 2003
- Contents: I. The Problem. II Humanistic Ethics: The applied science of the art of living. 1. Humanistic vs. Authoritarian Ethics. 2. Subjectivistic vs. Objectivistic Ethics. 3. The Science of Man. 4. The Tradition of Humanistic Ethics. 5. Ethics and Psychoanalisis. III. Human Nature and Character. 1. The Human Situation. A. Man's biological weakness. B. The existential and the historical dichotomies in man, 2. Personality. A. Temperament. B. Character. (1) The dynamic concept of character. (2) Types of character: the nonproductive orientations. (A) The receptive orientation. (B) The exploitative orientation. (C) The hoarding orientation. (D) The marketing orientation. (3) The productive orientation. (A) General characteristics. (B) Productive love and thinking. (4) Orientations in the process of socialization. (5) Blends of various orientations. IV. Problems of Humanistic Ethics. 1. Selfishness, Self-Love, and Self-Interest. 2. Conscience, Man's Recall to Himself. A. Authoritarian conscience. B. Humanistic conscience. 3. Pleasure and Happiness. A: Pleasure as a criterion of value. B. Types of pleasure. C. The problem of means and ends. 4. Faith as a Character Trait. 5. The Moral Powers in Man. A. Man, good or evil? B. Repression vs. productiveness. C. Character and moral judgment. 6. Absolute vs. Relative, Universal vs. Socially Immanent Ethics. V. The Moral Problem of Today.
- Comment: The delineation of a humanistic ethics on which to base the free development of the individual.

[1952] Bertrand de Jouvenel, The Ethics of Redistribution, Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, 1990
- Contents: Lecture I: The Socialist Ideal. Lecture II: State Expenditure. Appendix: The Potentialities of Pure Reditribution.
- To be read: Lecture II: State Expenditure.
- Comment: "Only Hayek has rivaled Bertrand de Jouvenel in demonstrating why redistributionism in the democracies inexorably results in the atrophy of personal responsibility and the hypertrophy of bureaucracy and the centralized state instead of in relief to the hapless minorities it is pledged to serve." Robert Nisbet

[2002] Emmanuel Todd, Après l'empire. Essai sur la décomposition du système américain, Gallimard, Paris, 2004
- Contents: Ouverture. 1. Le mythe du terrorisme universel. 2. La grande menace démocratique. 3. La dimension impériale. 4. La fragilité du tribut. 5. Le recul de l'universalisme. 6. Affronter le fort, ou attaquer le faible? 7. Le retour de la Russie. 8. L'émancipation de l'Europe. Fin de partie. Postface 2004.
- Comment: Un document intéressant pour comprendre la vision étatiste à l’échelle mondiale. C’est du Orwell (1984) revisité, mise au jour et qui se prend au sérieux.

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