On Recent Political Uses of Reinhold Niebuhr
On Recent Political Uses of Reinhold Niebuhr
Toward a New Appreciation of his Legacy
This chapter looks at how Niebuhr has been variously interpreted. It focuses on two representative writers — former New Republic editor Peter Beinart and historian David Chappell. Their efforts range widely and impressively beyond a focus on Niebuhr. But both fit the mould of public intellectuals who desire to reconstruct a ‘usable’ Niebuhrian legacy for our times. Their common flaw is to claim a more or less perfect Niebuhr from one stage of his intellectual career. While Chappell celebrates the radical 1930s Niebuhr of MoralMan and Immoral Society, Beinart champions the Cold War Niebuhr found in such 1950s works as The Irony of American History. In effect, their accounts serve as critiques of each other's portraits.
Keywords: Reinhold Niebuhr, Peter Beinart, David Chappell
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