"Anyone who wants to understand the profound changes that have overtaken the social disciplines in the course of the past decade ought to read Bernstein's book. He examines an extraordinarily wide range of theories with the most scrupulous care, in each case adding a series of extremely perceptive criticisms."

"Richard Bernstein is uniquely gifted among our contemporaries to bring into focus the mutual relevance of highly disparate strands in modern social and political theory. We are not likely to have a better work in the field."

"Valuable . . . for identifying the requirements for all rational life."

"A masterful survey and exposition of a broad range of literature on the social sciences. This book . . . shows Bernstein's extraordinary gift for interpretation. He takes author after author and deftly lays out the essentials of their arguments, relating them to others, and gradually developing a coherent picture of a whole realm of discourse. . . . A contribution that is vitally needed."

Richard J. Bernstein is Vera List Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research.