Robert Nisbet on European Enlightenment and Liberty
ABSTRACT
This conference focused on some of Robert Nisbet's lesser-known works that illustrate the impact of Europe's "reactionary enlightenment" on his thought. All readings were from Nisbet and touched on the positive value of prejudice, the importance of pluralistic social institutions, the tension between community and individualism, the nature of progress, Tocqueville on democracy and on power, the nature of conservatism, and the lessons of Orwell's novel 1984.
READING LIST
Conference Readings
Nisbet, Robert. History of the Idea of Progress. Piscataway: Transaction Publishers, 1994.
Nisbet, Robert. Prejudices: A Philosophical Dictionary. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
Nisbet, Robert. Sociology as an Art Form. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2002.
Nisbet, Robert. Conservatism: Dream and Reality. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986.
Nisbet, Robert. The Making of Modern Society. New York: New York University Press, 1986.
Nisbet, Robert A. The Sociological Tradition. New York: Basic Books, 1966.
Nisbet, Robert A. Social Change and History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Nisbet, Robert A. Tradition and Revolt: Historical and Sociological Essays. New York: Random House, 1968.