Synopses & Reviews
In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann wrote that political activity was alien to the German spirit and that "in fact the political element was absent from the German concept of education."
The Politics of the Unpolitical demonstrates the essential unreliability of this generalization by focusing on the political activity of ten of Germany's most widely respected writers in the period from the French Revolution to the founding of the Bismarck Reich in 1871.
Gordon A. Craig's book shows how Goethe, Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Holderlin, and Heine were fascinated by the political issues of their day and reacted either by entering public service or threw themselves into efforts to change society for the better. In his study of ten of Germany's most important intellectuals Craig, focuses on their political views and activities and argues that they were not, in fact, representatives of the genre of the "unpolitical German."
Review
"In ten chapters, each about a different man, Craig presents deft characterizations of German writers who sought to engage themselves politically and penetrating and provocative depictions of writers who abhorred politics as not being suited to the German writer's temperament....An interesting discussion of literary responses to political situations from the Age of Napoleon to the Age of Bismarck."--Choice
"This collection of essays is a pleasure to read but will perplex many of its readers. The essays themselves are vintage Craig: graceful and wide ranging."--American Historical Review
Synopsis
In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann wrote that political activity was alien to the German spirit and that "in fact the political element was absent from the German concept of education." The Politics of the Unpolitical demonstrates the essential unreliability of this
generalization by focusing on the political activity of ten of Germany's most widely respected writers in the period from the French Revolution to the founding of the Bismarck Reich in 1871.
Gordon A. Craig's book shows how Goethe, Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Holderlin, and Heine were fascinated by the political issues of their day and reacted either by entering public service or threw themselves into efforts to change society for the better. In his study of ten
of Germany's most important intellectuals Craig, focuses on their political views and activities and argues that they were not, in fact, representatives of the genre of the "unpolitical German."
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-181) and index.
About the Author
Gordon A. Craig is J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Humanities, Emeritus, at Stanford University. He is the author of numerous books including
The Politics of the Prussian Army, 1640-1945 (1955), and
Force and StatecraftTable of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Traditional Criteria of Tax Equity
1. Political Morality in Tax Policy: Fairness
2. Vertical Equity: The Distribution of Tax Burdens
3. The Benefit Principle
4. Ability to Pay: Endowment
5. Ability to Pay: Equal Sacrifice
6. Ability to Pay as an Egalitarian Idea
7. The Problem of Everday Libertarianism
8. Horizontal Equity
Chapter 3. Economic Justice ni Political Theory
1. Political Legitimacy
2. Consequentialism and Deontology
3. Public Goods
4. Benefits for Individuals
5. Efficiency and Utilitarianism
6. Distributive Justice, Fairness, and Priority to the Worst Off
7. Equality of Oppotunity
8. Legitamite Means and Individual Responsibility
9. Rewards and Punishments
10. Liberty and Libertarianism
11. The Moral Significance of the Market
12. Personal Motives and Political Values: The Moral Division of Labor
13. Conclusion
Chapter 4. Redistribution and Public Provision
1. Efficiency and Judgement
2. Paying for Public Goods
3. Which Goods are Public?
4. Redistribution
5. Transfer or Provision?
6. Public Duties
7. Conclusion
Chapter 5. The Tax Base
1. Efficiency and Justice
2. Outcomes, not Burdens
3. The Consumption Base and Fairness to Savers
4. Fairness as Equal Liberty
5. Desert and the Accumulation of Capital: The "Common Pool"
6. Wealth and Welfare
7. Wealth and Opportunity
8. Endowment and the Value of Autonomy
9. Exclusions and Credits
10. Transitions
Chapter 6. Progressivity
1. Graduation, Progression, Incidence, and Outcomes
2. Assessment of Outcomes
3. Optimal Taxation
4. Tax Reform
Chapter 7. Inheritance
1. The "Death Tax"
2. The Tax Base of the Donee
3. No Deduction for Donors
4. Details and Objections
5. Equal Opportunity and Transfer Taxation
6. Conclusion
Chapter 8. Tax Discrimination
1. Justifying Differential Treatment
2. An Example: The Marriage Penalty
3. Incentive Effects and Arbitrariness
Chapter 9. Conclusion: Politics
1. Theory and Practice
2. Justice and Self-Interest
3. Plausible Policies
4. Effective Moral Ideas
Notes
References
Index