{"product_id":"the-reopening-of-the-american-mind-9789042005211","title":"The Reopening of the American Mind","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Reopening of the American Mind: On Skepticism and Constitutionalism\u003c\/i\u003e explores the connection of moderate skepticism with attachment to constitutionalism through the thought of five writers. The features of this skepticism were concisely delineated by James Madison in the 37th \u003ci\u003eFederalist\u003c\/i\u003e as a recognition of the complexity of political matters, the limitations of human reason, and the shortcomings of language. The position was first articulated by Cicero who connected it with the idea of a mixed or republican constitution developed by trial and error over generations. Cicero was influential in the world of David Hume, Edmund Burke, and Madison. The skeptical\/constitutional connection found its most articulate recent advocate in Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and underlay his advocacy of judicial restraint.\u003cbr\u003eCurrent events have revived interest in the primacy of the legislative branch in balancing interests and rights, in the States as laboratories for democracy, and in an experimental approach to the solution of social problems in what might be called a reopening of the American mind. \u003cbr\u003eThe five central chapters explore the skeptical\/constitutional connection and the spirit of moderation in these political thinkers. Without an appreciation of this tradition of avoiding dogmatism, people will continue to demand simple answers to complex problems. The book is not, however, primarily a tract for the times but a reflection on the on-going search for a more civil world.","brand":"James W. Vice","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48273758421243,"sku":"9789042005211","price":161.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_a60fa451-5767-4631-a39e-24d555c7a9c6.jpg?v=1771064885","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-reopening-of-the-american-mind-9789042005211","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}