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The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory

Studies of Schmitt, Oakeshott, Hayek, Strauss, and Rand

Larry Alan Busk

What really separates emancipatory thinking from its opposite? The prevailing Left defines itself against neoliberalism, conservative traditionalism, and fascism as a matter of course. The philosophical differences, however, may be more apparent than real. The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory argues that dominant trends in critical and radical theory inadvertently reproduce the cardinal tenets of the twentieth century’s most influential right-wing philosophers. It finds the rejection of foundationalism, rationalism, economic planning, and vanguardism mirrored in the work of Schmitt, Oakeshott, Hayek, and Strauss. If it is to be more than merely an inverted image of the Right, critical theory must reevaluate its relationship to what Julius Nyerere once called “deliberate design” in politics. In the era of anthropogenic climate change, a substantial—not merely nominal—departure from right-wing talking points is all the more necessary and momentous.

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Lexington Books
Pages: 276 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-66692-963-8 • Hardback • August 2023 • $105.00 • (£81.00)
978-1-66692-964-5 • eBook • August 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
Subjects: Philosophy / Movements / Critical Theory, Political Science / History & Theory, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism

Larry Alan Busk teaches philosophy and humanities at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Introduction

Chapter I: Intelligent Design in Politics from Right to Left

Chapter II: The Fascist and His Shadow: Schmitt and the Question of Foundations

Chapter III: Oakeshott and the Purpose of Politics

Chapter IV: Hayek’s Game: Reification and the Production Paradigm in a Warming and Stratified World

Chapter V: Strauss and the Vanguard

Chapter VI: Limits of Reason or Distortion of Reason? The Case of Rand

Appendix: For the New Intellectual: A Critical Reading of Hochschild’s Strangers in their Own Land

Larry Busk's The Right Wing Mirror of Critical Theory is a book many of us have been waiting for. Functioning also as a trenchant critique of right wing philosophy, the book's main contribution is patiently showing how the trendy forms of "anti-foundationalism" and "anti-rationalism," which have long dominated left-critical theory, echo the reactionaries' cry. Funny, lucid, and above all brave, The Right Wing Mirror of Critical Theory calls on progressives to remember we can remake the world anew, and better.


— Matt McManus, University of Michigan, author of The Political Right and Equality (Routledge 2023)


With his signature acumen, Busk critically engages with the arguments of some of the most influential rightwing thinkers of the contemporary world. His objective is not simply to show that they are incorrect, but—more importantly—to demonstrate the necessity of a coherent and systemic left politics that embraces, unlike much of the Western left intelligentsia, the need for a self-consciously constructed and rationally planned socio-political project of emancipation. This is an urgent call to critically dismantle the right while reinventing the left!


— Gabriel Rockhill, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University


Larry Busk’s most recent book can be counted as an important, if unsettling intervention... The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory is a welcome challenge to widespread theoretical beliefs.


— Contemporary Political Theory


Busk’s analysis of right-wing thought is always illuminating and fresh, and is a welcome contribution to the growing array of sophisticated left-wing interpretations of the right.


— Marx and Philosophy Review of Books


This book could not be timelier, nor the questions it raises for the Left, more vital.


— New Political Science


12/6/24, New Books Network - Economics: Busk discussed the book on the podcast.

Link: https://player.fm/series/new-books-in-economics-2421455/larry-alan-busk-the-right-wing-mirror-of-critical-theory-studies-of-schmitt-oakeshott-hayek-strauss-and-rand-rowman-littlefield-2023



The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory

Studies of Schmitt, Oakeshott, Hayek, Strauss, and Rand

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • What really separates emancipatory thinking from its opposite? The prevailing Left defines itself against neoliberalism, conservative traditionalism, and fascism as a matter of course. The philosophical differences, however, may be more apparent than real. The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory argues that dominant trends in critical and radical theory inadvertently reproduce the cardinal tenets of the twentieth century’s most influential right-wing philosophers. It finds the rejection of foundationalism, rationalism, economic planning, and vanguardism mirrored in the work of Schmitt, Oakeshott, Hayek, and Strauss. If it is to be more than merely an inverted image of the Right, critical theory must reevaluate its relationship to what Julius Nyerere once called “deliberate design” in politics. In the era of anthropogenic climate change, a substantial—not merely nominal—departure from right-wing talking points is all the more necessary and momentous.

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 276 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
    978-1-66692-963-8 • Hardback • August 2023 • $105.00 • (£81.00)
    978-1-66692-964-5 • eBook • August 2023 • $45.00 • (£35.00)
    Subjects: Philosophy / Movements / Critical Theory, Political Science / History & Theory, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism
Author
Author
  • Larry Alan Busk teaches philosophy and humanities at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Introduction

    Chapter I: Intelligent Design in Politics from Right to Left

    Chapter II: The Fascist and His Shadow: Schmitt and the Question of Foundations

    Chapter III: Oakeshott and the Purpose of Politics

    Chapter IV: Hayek’s Game: Reification and the Production Paradigm in a Warming and Stratified World

    Chapter V: Strauss and the Vanguard

    Chapter VI: Limits of Reason or Distortion of Reason? The Case of Rand

    Appendix: For the New Intellectual: A Critical Reading of Hochschild’s Strangers in their Own Land

Reviews
Reviews
  • Larry Busk's The Right Wing Mirror of Critical Theory is a book many of us have been waiting for. Functioning also as a trenchant critique of right wing philosophy, the book's main contribution is patiently showing how the trendy forms of "anti-foundationalism" and "anti-rationalism," which have long dominated left-critical theory, echo the reactionaries' cry. Funny, lucid, and above all brave, The Right Wing Mirror of Critical Theory calls on progressives to remember we can remake the world anew, and better.


    — Matt McManus, University of Michigan, author of The Political Right and Equality (Routledge 2023)


    With his signature acumen, Busk critically engages with the arguments of some of the most influential rightwing thinkers of the contemporary world. His objective is not simply to show that they are incorrect, but—more importantly—to demonstrate the necessity of a coherent and systemic left politics that embraces, unlike much of the Western left intelligentsia, the need for a self-consciously constructed and rationally planned socio-political project of emancipation. This is an urgent call to critically dismantle the right while reinventing the left!


    — Gabriel Rockhill, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University


    Larry Busk’s most recent book can be counted as an important, if unsettling intervention... The Right-Wing Mirror of Critical Theory is a welcome challenge to widespread theoretical beliefs.


    — Contemporary Political Theory


    Busk’s analysis of right-wing thought is always illuminating and fresh, and is a welcome contribution to the growing array of sophisticated left-wing interpretations of the right.


    — Marx and Philosophy Review of Books


    This book could not be timelier, nor the questions it raises for the Left, more vital.


    — New Political Science


Features
Features
  • 12/6/24, New Books Network - Economics: Busk discussed the book on the podcast.

    Link: https://player.fm/series/new-books-in-economics-2421455/larry-alan-busk-the-right-wing-mirror-of-critical-theory-studies-of-schmitt-oakeshott-hayek-strauss-and-rand-rowman-littlefield-2023



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