Crisis of the House Divided
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
Crisis of the House Divided
| Full title | Crisis of the House Divided: An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates |
|---|---|
| Author | Harry V. Jaffa |
| Published | 1959 |
| Pages | 451 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | Jaffa reads the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates as a serious philosophical argument: Douglas’s popular sovereignty against Lincoln’s claim that the Declaration’s equality clause binds majorities. His thesis — the founding text of West Coast Straussianism — is that Lincoln reinterpreted the Declaration and refounded the republic on natural right. |
Where I heard about it
- Brendan McCord — on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, under The American Experiment, a section that runs from the founding documents through Lincoln. Full transcription: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.
Connections
- Abraham Lincoln — one of the two debaters, and the book’s subject.
- Founding Fathers — the Declaration whose meaning is being argued over.
- Democracy — popular sovereignty is the doctrine on trial.
- The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this came from.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.