Jefferson's Secrets: Death And Desire In Monticello

Book Description

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, leaving behind a series of mysteries that captured the imaginations of historical investigators-an interest rekindled by the recent revelation that he fathered a child by Sally Hemmings, a woman he legally owned-yet there is still surprisingly little known about him as a man. In Jefferson's Secrets Andrew Burstein focuses on Jefferson's last days to create an emotionally powerful portrait of the uncensored private citizen who was also a giant of a man.

Drawing on sources previous biographers have glossed over or missed entirely, Burstein uncovers, first and foremost, how Jefferson confronted his own mortality; and in doing so, he reveals how he viewed his sexual choices.

Delving into Jefferson's soul, Burstein lays bare the president's thoughts about his own legacy, his predictions for American democracy, and his feelings regarding women and religion. The result is a moving and surprising work of history that sets a new standard, post-DNA, for the next generation's reassessment of the most evocative and provocative of this country's founders.

Customer Reviews:

Having It Both Ways.......2007-07-19

The good stuff in this book is invaluable to anyone with a serious interest in Jefferson. I'd award five stars for such unique scholarship, but I've subtracted two stars as a rebuke to the author and to his editors, if there were any, for perverse self-indulgence. The readability of "Jefferson's Secrets" is damaged by its repetitiousness; Burstein even repeats the same quotations from Jefferson's letters in three and four chapters, without significantly adding to his exegesis. But a more serious flaw is Burstein's rhapsodic admiration of Jefferson's mind at the same time that he protrays the man as a consummate hypocrite and egotist--not only a slave-owner and unreconstructed racist but an exploiter of servants to the point of callously making one his concubine, a Jacobin in rhetoric who lived in the style of an ancien regime aristocrat, a man who gave his daughters a decorous education yet maintained that women had no claim to equality. Burstein's defense seems to be that we should forgive Jefferson's inconsistencies because he was conflicted, and a man of his times. Indeed, the central theme of the book is to demonstrate exactly how Jefferson was a man of his times, whose world-view was shaped by the ideas and particularly the scientific knowledge of the Enlightenment. That's the good stuff, the analysis of what Jefferson himself thought he meant by what he said and wrote, given the "vocabulary" of his time and place. However, in the next breath Burstein proceeds to declare that Jefferson was in some sense the first Modern Man, a harbinger of Romanticism precisely because of his ambiguities, the very same ambiguities that Burstein has just dispelled. Really, Professor Burstein, it seems to be YOU who are conflicted, by your adulation of the "timeless" Jefferson even while you pin the human Jefferson to the cultural matrix of his lifetime!

Extremely disappointing biography of Jefferson.......2007-06-23

There is next to nothing here that caught my interest. I was looking forward very much to this work, and I was extremely disappointed in it. I had just finished an excellent biography of John Adams, which impelled me to try this one. I can only recommend that you don't waste your time. Every moment on this book was, to me, a complete waste of time.

His own way of looking at things...........2007-06-07

Thomas Jefferson was a great and brilliant, but flawed and unconventional man. What can the zillionth book add that hasn't already been said? Quite a lot. It should not be anybody's first book on Jefferson, but it should be everybody's second, or third. Of course, Burstein hasn't got Jefferson "figured out", but neither does anyone else.....

This wonderful volume focuses on Mr. Jefferson's later years, and does give us a good view of his thought processes. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, and Jefferson can be quoted to "prove" ANYTHING. "Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that this people are to be free,..." The inscription on the wall of the Jefferson Memorial ends with a period, but look up the rest of the quote. I use the comma deliberately. He who said that "All men are created equal" also had things to say about the orangutang. And he also had sex with his slave, Sally? Well...maybe. In any event, he documented his views on this subject, too, complete with charts. The ongoing arguement with John Marshall gets coverage, too. It has been more completely documented elsewhere, but Burstein does an excellent job. This feud is truly one of the most profound topics in American history. It spanned from their early years till the day Jefferson died, and beyond, going from a rivalry, to disagreement, to blind, unreasoning, hatred after the Aaron Burr treason case of 1807. My own opinion is that the cause of the whole mess was multifaceted, involving familial, personal, political, and philosophical elements. {Not religious; they agreed about that} In this battle of giants, we have the origin of the Civil War, and of much of our political conflict today. An athiest who "swore on the altar of God"? This is covered, too. Jefferson may not have been orthodox, but he was assuradely not an athiest. A slave owner who hated slavery? Not unusual...the same is true of George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, George Wythe, and Robert E. Lee. {Lee inherited his slaves, and freed them before he had to}. A word of caution; though some of the founding fathers did not believe in slavery, they certainly did not believe in Black equality, either.

Andrew Burstein has produced a superb work. As I said, NOT a first book on the subject, but an essential one. For a first book, see Joseph Ellis, or Fawn Brodie. Dumas Malone is, of course, definitive, but few will mine the gold in those six profound volumes.

The Inner Jefferson.......2006-10-20

Burstein has written an insightful book on the Jefferson, as he says, that has usually been ignored by many other historians, i.e. in the period after his presidency. Specifically, Burstein analyzes the thoughts and attitudes held by Jefferson on life, the role of women and slaves in society, religion, freedom of thought, politics and other topics. The Jefferson that emerges from Burstein's study is a multi-faceted man who both inspires awe for his intelligence and his abilities but also sets him in place as a creature of his time, especially concerning the issue of slavery.

Burstein is especially keen on observing Jefferson's use of words to convey his inner most feelings and thoughts. He is especially observant of the medical terminology that Jefferson uses in discussing many different subjects. As Burstein mentioned, he usually didn't give his correspondent everything he was looking for in terms of revealing his innermost thoughts and secrets. After his presidency, Jefferson preferred a retreat from the public sphere and generally guarded his privacy. But we do get to understand Jefferson's devotion to his family, his sometimes very contradictory statements on human liberty and freedom especially when juxtaposed against the very present institution of slavery, his views on republican government and many other areas that he expounded on.

There are friends, family members, well-known politicians, doctors, thinkers and others who emerge in Burstein's book, mainly through the correspondence that Burstein uses to help bring light to the elusive aspects of Jefferson's attitudes and sensibilities. The controversies surrounding Jefferson and the institution of slavery are discussed, especially concerning the generally accepted sexual relationship with Sally Hemings, with interesting insights by Burstein on Jefferson's attitudes on sexual relationships, racial differences and so forth. Though he would be considered a racist today, he was a creature of his time, with an odd, but seemingly well-thought out view of the nature of the races (not that his view was right).

Burstein really does try to understand the foundations of Jefferson's inner beliefs and sensibilities. Jefferson was a devotee to the rights of man (though this didn't include everyone in his day), his family (he was especially close to his granddaughter Ellen), and the principles of republican government. Interestingly, despite his advocacies, he often turned to others to make the effort to combat his political opponents, we see this in his wanting to combat the histories written by such Federalists as Chief Justice Marshall.

The reader will get to see snippets of the inner Jefferson in this book. Burstein, as he stated he wanted to accomplish, succeeds fairly well in presenting the living Jefferson as opposed to the dying Jefferson, though we do read of the effects of aging and other health issues that gradually took their toll on his physical body. We see the many facets of this highly intelligent human being who was such an influence in his day and through his words, actions and ideals continues to be to the present. The debates go on.

Another Fine Contribution by Andrew Burstein.......2005-11-17

Jefferson has now fallen into the same category as Lincoln: given the zillions of books already written about him, what is there left to add? Burstein's previous book on TJ ("The Inner Jefferson") established that he had quite a lot to contribute to the literature, much of it quite unique in perspective. The same is certainly true of this volume as well.

The focus here is on the retired Jefferson (1809-1826), and much of the author's material is drawn from TJ's private papers after leaving office. One of Burstein's great virtues--perhaps his greatest virtue--is that he looks for unique aspects not generally already addressed by other historians. For example, the impact of "time and mortality" on TJ's thought; his medical concerns and how these concerns are reflected in the unique vocabulary of the 18th Century (e.g., what is the meaning of "sensation"?); and whether there is something to learn about his political views from looking at these issues. Similarly, how did he conceive of "nature"?

Burstein also looks at that perennial issue of TJ and slavery, including an interesting chapter on "sex with a servant" in an effort to probe that relationship. Did TJ's affinity for the ancient Greeks impact on his relationship with Sally Hemmings?--this is the kind of issue that only Burstein would explore. The most fascinating section I found dealt with Jefferson's efforts to get favorable history written so that his record would remain untarnished after his death. I am not quite sure anyone else has dealt with this issue. Finally, the topic is TJ and dying, which ends up focusing upon TJ's religious orientation during this period. Burstein's research is, as usual, prodigious as he searches for evidence to support his interpretations. While a great deal of speculation and imaginative thinking are at work here, Burstein continues to generate scintillating and provocative work that is highly unique and valuable. While one may not always agree with his interpretations, the process of considering them continues to be of substantial value.

Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello

Average customer rating:

Annoying
Excellent way to experience an outstanding book!

Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello

Manufacturer: Tantor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

ASIN: 1400101484

Book Description

In this moving and intimate look at the final days of our most enigmatic president, Andrew Burstein sheds new light on what Thomas Jefferson actually thought about sexuality, race, gender, and politics.
Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, leaving behind a series of mysteries that captured the imaginations of historical investigators-an interest rekindled by the recent revelation that he fathered a child by Sally Hemmings, a woman he legally owned-yet there is still surprisingly little known about him as a man. In Jefferson's Secrets Andrew Burstein focuses on Jefferson's last days to create an emotionally powerful portrait of the uncensored private citizen who was also a giant of a man.
Drawing on sources previous biographers have glossed over or missed entirely, Burstein uncovers, first and foremost, how Jefferson confronted his own mortality; and in doing so, he reveals how he viewed his sexual choices.
Delving into Jefferson's soul, Burstein lays bare the president's thoughts about his own legacy, his predictions for American democracy, and his feelings regarding women and religion. The result is a moving and surprising work of history that sets a new standard, post-DNA, for the next generation's reassessment of the most evocative and provocative of this country's founders.

Customer Reviews:

Annoying.......2006-08-26

The narrator's voice is almost as annoying as his continual mispronunciation of Monticello. As to the 'book' itself, the prologue is endless and serves only as a monument to the author's colossal ego. I've read perhaps fifty Jefferson books yet have never before found one that attempts so much and delivers so little. Skip this one.

Excellent way to experience an outstanding book!.......2005-07-06

I got the audio CD edition of "Jefferson's Secrets" for a recent cross-country drive. It made the journey much more enjoyable and rewarding -- even the endless landscape of Texas passed by in no time!

ABOUT THE CD PRODUCTION QUALITIES:
The narrator, Simon Vance, does a superlative job. His voice is very easy on the ear, and his pacing and enunciation are ideal. The only minor niggle is that he pronounces the name of Jefferson's home as "montisello" instead of "montichello". (Dictionaries endorse both pronunciations, but Jefferson's correspondence suggests that he used the Italian version.)

The book lends itself to aural consumption very well -- I found myself listening in "page-turning mode" in some sections, and in others, I was pausing the CD frequently to take notes and reflect. It makes for very comfortable and efficient absorption.

ABOUT THE CD CONTENTS:
Unlike other reviewers, I don't believe that "Secrets" requires extensive familiarity with Jefferson and his politics. My rudimentary knowledge of American history (I'm an immigrant) did not hinder my comprehension or enjoyment of the book at all. On the contrary, I think "Secrets" makes an excellent Jefferson primer because it covers those aspects of the man that he deemed most important himself (according to his epitaph.)

"Jefferson's Secrets" is an immensely satisfying book -- one that leaves you wishing for equally thorough and insightful works on other prominent figures. Alas, few people have made their souls as accessible as Jefferson did. Indeed, it appears that most of his words and deeds were intended with a view to his legacy. By bringing Jefferson's later writings to light, Burstein is therefore fulfilling the founder's fervent wish that his contributions and convictions be properly understood.

The book has a very effective structure. The first two chapters serve as a prelude, presenting a miscellany of information about Jefferson: his decidedly physiological view of life, his activities and afflictions, his relationships with family and friends, his highly rational and scientific mindset, his voracious reading and writing habits, etc. There is also much information about Jefferson's times, including the prevailing medical and scientific knowledge, attitudes, conditions, personalities, and language usage.

This groundwork places the reader squarely inside Jefferson's head, which helps a great deal in understanding his views on slavery, race, gender, sex, politics, literature, and religion. In subsequent chapters, Burstein explores each of these topics thoroughly and unflinchingly. His well-founded conclusions answered my questions in full. Having finished the book, I feel I know Jefferson as well as might a family member or a close friend. I am now better able to appreciate his virtues, and I have a clearer understanding of his shortcomings.

Yes, Jefferson's legacy is clouded because he was not able to rise above his times to become the emancipator of Blacks and women. Yes, he was uncharacteristically close-minded about race and surprisingly vindictive towards his political enemies. And yes, he was fiscally irresponsible in living way beyond his means (the quintessential American!)

However, the salient image that emerges from the book is that of a man who was indeed "a mindful practitioner of the art of living life." He provided the mantra for the nascent republic, and his vision and awareness guided it during its early vulnerability. He was understated, principled, caring, curious, industrious, resourceful, optimistic, and reasonable. In a more enlightened time, I have no doubt that he would have written "all people are created equal".

I am awed and inspired by all that Jefferson was able to achieve -- has there ever been a better manager of time? On the other hand, I am saddened to think that one of this country's greatest presidents would have no chance of being elected today (a non-religious widower would be a nonstarter.)

"Secrets" is a positive and uplifting work. In a world of sound bites, it's a pleasure discovering research as comprehensive, even-handed, and well-written as this. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire At Monticello
Andrew Burstein
Manufacturer: Tantor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N74402

Politics and the misadventures of Thomas Jefferson's modern reputation: a review essay.(Portrait of a Restless Mind)(Thomas Jefferson)(Jefferson's Secrets: ... An article from: Journal of Southern History

Average customer rating:

Politics and the misadventures of Thomas Jefferson's modern reputation: a review essay.(Portrait of a Restless Mind)(Thomas Jefferson)(Jefferson's Secrets: ... An article from: Journal of Southern History
Jeffrey L. Pasley
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000LC3LVM
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2006. The length of the article is 16951 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Politics and the misadventures of Thomas Jefferson's modern reputation: a review essay.(Portrait of a Restless Mind)(Thomas Jefferson)(Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello)(Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800)("Negro President": Jefferson and the Slave Power)(Book review)
Author: Jeffrey L. Pasley
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 4 Page: 871(38)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The Middle Ages are commonly divided into three periods—the early Middle Ages, the high or central Middle Ages, and the late Middle Ages. Each period was marked by its own crises and wars, and the weapons and fighters reflected the technological and other advancements being made. This book is a richly illustrated history of warfare in Western Europe during those years.

Part One, the early Middle Ages, covers the late Romans, the Germanic invaders and Byzantines, the Franks, the Vikings and Hungarians, and the Anglo-Saxons and Normans in England. Part Two, the high or central Middle Ages, considers the feudal system, knights and chivalry, knights at war, infantrymen, land warfare, siege and naval warfare, crusades in Palestine, templars and hospitalers, the Reconquista in Spain, and the Teutonic knights. Part Three, the late Middle Ages, discusses the evolution of new types of armor and weapons, the Hundred Years' War, mercenaries, and firearms.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderfully learned and useful book.......2004-12-20

My group and I used this book for a presentation in our class in Marx and Marxism over at CSUF (go Dr. Avila!) and we would recommend this book to anyone not only interested in Marx and ecology but natural history and the divergent systems of socialism that sprung up in tandem with Marx. Paul Proudhon, Charles Darwin, Malthus, John Evelyn, Francis Bacon, Epicurus and a doven others are the stars of this Altmanesque vehicle, each getting their due. So vast is its scope in terms of not only the social/political/scientific movements but also the personalities that created them and so compact and taut is the prose that this book becomes not just informative but fun and... dare I say it?... rather thrilling to read.

Capital ecologies.......2004-01-08

I was reading somewhere that Marx had been refuted, but you never know, the way the Bush gang is acting up it's only a matter of time before the classic challenge of Marx and Engels will see its stock rise as the Ann Coulter traitors realize she meant it. But will the corpus of ideas stand up? It seemed fitting to check out the cultural fire equipment--I appointed myself for the job. This book is a nice and a breezy, well done exploration of the mainline with an interesting twist on ecology. A bit after the fact, perhaps, since the legacy of known historical Marxism in action was not good here. But the relevance of Marx to ecological questions is not a hard rabbit to pull out of a hat. As interesting was the review of the Marxist viewpoint for which one fears there are no second chances in its current form which is lodged in a series of confusions through which the author takes us unwittingly, flawed material presented as 'store items'. Yet the tradition has infinite potential if anyone can extricate the material from its Hegelian, Darwinian confusions, and regrettable fallacies of (economic) theory.
One nice part of the book is the review of Marx's materialism, and the relation to his early studies of Epicurus. Thence the Hegelian sources of Marx and a history of Marx and Engels on Darwin. The problem with Marx's materialism is that it is, despite the obvious enrichment of the Greek source, too nineteenth century, and too obsessed as contra-Hegel. To transcend bourgeois society seems to ask for a philosophy that transcends the whole (bourgeois) philosophic tradition. But didn't Hegel steal on march on that question? To pick materialism against idealism was a strategic limitation. Hegel is too clever to outwit with materialist boilerplate from the age of scientism and water cooler jargon from hallways at Nasa. One is a Marxist anti-Hegelian yet armed with pilferred Hegelian material--the result is seen in the author's discussion of Hegel on Kant, a point on which Marxists tend to toe the line, like pragmatists with their 'naturalized Hegelianism'. Marx was brilliant but Marxism was outwitted by Hegel. Why not backtrack to Kant then, a gesture the author points to without intending it in, surprisingly, Engels whose reputation sits badly with his dialectics of nature, but the book shows thinking much more cogently in private with the Kantian third critique.
The most useful part of the book is the discussion of Marxism and Darwin. But here total confusion has always reigned in the 'over the falls' embrace of Darwin. And I was fascinated to read the author's giving the game away on Marx's obvious reluctance to let selectionist theory pass. For that we must admire Marx's instincts, for he smelt a rat, but the tide turned against him reservations. I think the Darwinist embrace produced by the Seond Internationale was a great failure of Marxism, as the 'critique of evolutionary economy' failed to make it into the tradition, in part because of the agenda on materialism. In a word, our fire equipment is not ready, for this and other reasons. Interesting little book anyway.

Original and Compelling.......2003-03-23

"Marx's Ecology" by John Bellamy Foster positively reasserts the long-neglected environmental aspects of Karl Marx's writing. Foster guides the reader through a fascinating look at Marx's personal intellectual development and the various thinkers who influenced him. The author reveals a Marx who was keenly aware of capital's strategy to alienate labor from nature. Foster also makes clear that Marx worked assiduously to develop a theory that might reconnect dehumanized labor with its degraded environment in hopes of creating a better, more sustainable world.

Indeed, Foster's book is an interesting study of intellectual history, with an emphasis on the debates that raged during Marx's lifespan in the 19th century. The ideas and discoveries of Darwin, Engels, Epicurus, Hegel, Malthus, Proudhon, and others are discussed at length. Foster presents a Marx who was clearly at the vanguard of progressive thought in his era and gives us considerable insight into how Marx created his materialist theory of history. We also understand why Marx privileged the environment but explicitly rejected the fashionable teleological and racist arguments of his time.

In particular, I found the discussion concerning Epicurus to be fascinating. Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who had a profound influence on the Enlightenment and was the subject of Marx's doctoral dissertation. Foster tells us that Marx's unconventional interpretations have been confirmed by recent archaeological discoveries, although at the time Marx had been working from a small number of extant fragments of Epicurus' writings. In addition to explaining to the reader why Epicurus' ideas are important, Foster deepens our appreciation for Marx, whose intellectual capabilities were evident even at a fairly young age.

In the Epilogue, Foster shows how Marx's ecology fell out of the loop, a victim to Soviet ideology, Stalinist purges and other historical forces. But he shows how snippets of Marx's environmental thought has influenced scholars and activists throughout the 20th century. In fact, Foster suggests that Marx has been vindicated by some within the contemporary environmental movement. For example, Rachel Carson's work connecting corporate power with environmental and social degradation recalls (unconsciously?) Marx's work regarding the dialectic of nature and science. But with this book, Foster has effectively redrawn the circle, solidly connecting Marxist theory with the environment. Foster helps us understand that social justice and ecological sustainability are core Marxist values that can guide and inspire activists who are looking for solutions to today's environmental crisis.

In short, I strongly recommend this book for readers who are interested in intellectual history and/or eco-socialist theory, and congratulate Foster for an outstanding piece of research.

Marx as ecologist.......2000-06-24

In "Marx's Ecology," John Bellamy Foster defies conventional green thinking by raising the banner of materialism rather than spirituality in the fight to save the planet and humanity from ecological ruin. In addition to restoring materialism to its proper place, Foster also shows that ecological questions were central not only to Marx, but other Marxists such as Bebel and Bukharin. By restoring this lost tradition, Foster hopes to create a new basis for ecosocialism grounded in Marxist science rather than mysticism.

Although most students of Marx are aware of materialist thought in such early works as the 1845 "Theses on Feuerbach," Foster argues convincingly that materialism made its debut in Marx's doctoral dissertation on the "Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature," written four years earlier. According to Foster, the standard explanation for the dissertation is that Marx saw Epicurus as a kindred rebel spirit. This Epicurus sought to overthrow the totalizing philosophy of Aristotle, just as the post-Hegelians--including the young Marx--rose up against Hegel. What is missing here is the element of materialism, which drew Marx to Epicurus in the first place. Marx identified with the Enlightenment, for which Epicurus serves as a forerunner to the radical democrats of the 17th and 18th century. The materialism they all shared was crucial to an attack on the status quo, ancient or modern.

The Greek materialists, especially Epicurus, are important to Marx because they represent the first systematic opposition to idealist and essentialist thought. Just as importantly, Epicurus in particular anticipates the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment. His dicta that "Nothing is ever created by divine power out of nothing" and "nature . . . never reduces anything to nothing" are in harmony with what we now know as "the principle of conservation." Foster also notes that Lucretius, another materialist of the classical era, "alluded to air pollution due to mining, to the lessening of harvests through the degradation of soil, and to the disappearance of the forests; as well as arguing that human beings were not radically different from animals."

In their early writings, Marx and Engels wed the materialism of the Enlightenment to a political critique of the capitalist system, particularly targeting ideologues such as Malthus. Taking aim at his false piety, the 1844 "Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy" challenges private property, especially in the land, asserting that:

"To make earth an object of huckstering--the earth which is our one and all, the first condition of our existence--was the last step in making oneself an object of huckstering. It was and is to this very day an immortality of self-alienation. And the original appropriation--the monopolization of the earth by a few, the exclusion of the rest from that which is the condition of their life--yields nothing in immorality to the subsequent huckstering of the earth."

By restoring Marx's materialism to its proper place, "Marx's Ecology" provides a theoretical foundation for further explorations in ecosocialism. Once we understand the proper connection between nature and society, we can begin to act to confront the major problems facing humanity, from global warming to diminishing fresh water supplies. In the final chapter, Foster cites a number of Marxist thinkers who belong to the materialist tradition. Their examples can help to inspire a new generation of ecologically minded socialists.

Foster presents an unfamiliar side of Bukharin. His "Philosophical Arabesques," only made available in 1992, reveals a sophisticated dialectical materialist who grounds his analysis of society in ecology. Bukharin writes of the "earth's atmosphere, full of infinitely varied life, from the smallest microorganisms in water, on land and in the air, to human beings. Many people do not imagine the vast richness of these forms, or their direct participation in the physical and chemical processes of nature."

As one of the founders of German Social Democracy, August Bebel not only spoke with some authority in the 1884 "Woman Under Socialism," he also seemed to be anticipating the dire consequences experienced today in the wake of clear-cutting:

"The mad sacrifice of the appreciable deterioration of climate and decline in the fertility of the soil in the provinces of Prussian and Pomerania, in Syria, Italy and France, and Spain. Frequent inundations are the consequence of stripping high ground of trees. The inundations of the Rhine and Vistula are chiefly attributed to the devastation of forest land in Switzerland and Poland."

Finally, in an instance that seems to address Joel Kovel's complaint about the lack of spirituality in Marxism and a possible alternative to Lewis Henry Morgan's obsession with "improvement,", we have the example of Rosa Luxemburg who wrote from prison in May, 1917:

"What am I reading? For the most part, natural science: geography of plants and animals. Only yesterday I read why the warblers are disappearing from Germany. Increasingly systematic forestry, gardening and agriculture are, step by step destroying all natural nesting and breeding places: hollow trees, fallow land, thickets of shrubs, withered leaves on the garden grounds. It pained me so when I read that. Not because of the song they sing for people, but rather it was the picture of the silent, irresistible extinction of these defenseless little creatures which hurt me to the point that I had to cry. It reminded me of a Russian book which I read while still in Zurich, a book by Professor Sieber about the ravage of the redskins in North America. In exactly the same way, step by step, they have been pushed from their land by civilized men and abandoned to perish silently and cruelly."

A Revolutionary Debunking.......2000-06-08

This book is a hot knife through the rancid butter of existing views of the ties between science, ecology, and the politics of the human future.

Foster presents prodigious historical evidence for his thesis that, despite a century-and-a-half of obtuseness on both right and left, Karl Marx was one of the greatest and deepest inheritors and advancers of the best tradition of both "Enlightenment materialism-humanism" and ecological realism.

Foster shows that, contrary to traditional interpretations, Marx was neither an admirer of crude mechanistic science nor an airy Hegelian dreamer. If one actually bothers to read the earliest and the lesser-known Marx, it turns out that the bearded one was quite consciously an exponent of the supple, open-ended materialism embodied in the Epicurean tradition and in the best ideas of its Enlightenment elaborators, including giants of science like Bacon and Darwin.

This unappreciated fact, Foster also shows, meant that Marx was also a very profound ecologist. Up to speed on the most important ecological debates of his epoch, Marx's whole project, Foster convincingly demonstrates, rested on the kind of hard-headed, historically-sensitive, and politically clear-sighted concern for the world's ecological welfare that is so sorely lacking in today's sterile debates between status-quo ostriches and "radical" nature worshippers.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Synthesis/Regeneration, published by WD Press on March 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1377 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Growing the Red/Green Paradigm: Ecological Socialism in Root and Branch.
Author: Walt Contreras Sheasby
Publication: Synthesis/Regeneration (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2000
Publisher: WD Press
Page: 28

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature.(Book review): An article from: Environments

Average customer rating:

Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature.(Book review): An article from: Environments
Arn Keeling
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Environments, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 811 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature.(Book review)
Author: Arn Keeling
Publication: Environments (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Page: 81(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Product Description

A completely revised and updated edition of highly popular, humorous and educational treatment of the subject of solar energy using a cat as a metaphor.

Customer Reviews:

Cats and Solar Energy.......2007-08-12

This is a very funny yet extremely informative book with great illustrations about solar power using cats as examples. Very enjoyable!

Cats *can* be the best teachers.......2004-02-11

This whimsical look at a usually dead-serious subject (solar energy, not cats) allows the information to sneak in under the "I can't learn that" radar. Cat lovers will especially enjoy the book, but non-cat lovers can also appreciate its charming approach to the subject. My four cats give it sixteen paws up. I give it two thumbs!

Are People as Energy Savy as Cats?.......2003-12-12

Jim Augustyne takes the Suessian approach to showing the reader our myopia when it comes to the nature of renewable energy, politics, and economics. Solar Energy is nature's way and cats are fundamentally in tune with nature. Even though Augustyne does not use rhyme to make his point, the reason is shown through the fun-house mirror of technologically advanced felines, and their 'natural' instincts and behaviour, optimized for solar utilization. Augustyne has developed an alternate universe of whimsy and pointy satire where kitties rule and our human foibles and blindness to the advantages of solar renewables are entertainingly exposed. The text and drawings unerringly capture feline personality and 'technical' accumen. A real entertainment bargain with a sideways squint at education. For real kids and kids at heart, like engineers, teachers, businessmen, homeowners, and politicians, of all ages.

Fun in the Sun.......2003-12-11

One of the cleverest, funniest and most informative pieces of science writing to come along in years. Augustyn is equal parts Woody Allen and Stephen Hawking. But make no mistake: "The Return of the Solar Cat Book" is not only a rollicking good read and a visual delight, but an important contribution to the current debate over the nation's energy future. "It's the sun, stupid!" Augustyn is saying. "And here's why -- and how." Should be required reading for Presidents Bush and Putin, Energy Secy. Abraham and Ken Lay. Augustyn is way over the top. I wish I'd thought of "meowium" first.

Teacher Sets Solar Cats Loose in Classroom.......2003-12-09

I teach Middle School students all about the world in our tiny self-contained rural school. The topic of solar energy comes up in our physics curriculum; political aberrations are often discussed in our current events class; and, needless to say,we often share pet stories, especially reports on kitty capers.
I loved The Return of the Solar Cat Book immediately, and I realized my students were ready to appreciate it too. I took a chance and shared it with my students.It was a great decision. They adore the drawings, the author's wry wit, and the way the
book makes difficult science concepts very accessible.Now we learn and giggle together. I love it. Thank you, Jim Augustyn

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books