Status
Available
Call number
Publication
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2014), 278 pages
Description
Rose Wilder Lane an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist, lived from 1886 until 1968. She was the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and widely considered a silent collaborator on the Little House series. She is noted - with Ayn Rand and Isabel Paterson - as one of the founding mothers of the American libertarian movement. This is her non-fiction book (1943), one that had a huge impact on American libertarian thought in the 20th century. Here we have an eloquent hymn to human energy and its creative power. Her prose is stark and strong, the product of decades of experience in attempting to get readers to listen, and succeeding. --Amazon.com.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ServusLibri
Lane’s “Discovery of Freedom” is entirely outside the box thinking. It is at once a history of mankind and a vision of political philosophy, but of course meets none of the ‘standards’ usually applied in either of these fields.
Her history does not follow the steps of generals and
Her political philosophy is mostly negative. How and why did this happen in the 100 years between 1800 and 1900, but not in the earlier 6,000 years of civilization? Wilder looks at some earlier examples, the Jews and the Saracens, and at some of the debts we owe them. Her conclusion is negative in the sense that she views their and our success as due to the idea that ‘Authority’ (the government, state, king, dictator, church, or emperor) either left them alone or was ignored, while they went about making progress as best they could.
She goes on to point that this growth has been slowed and blocked in the twentieth century, but remains optimistic as shown by her final remark. (Remember that Rose was writing while the outcome of WWII was still uncertain.) ”Win this war? Of course Americans will win this war… [but] there is more than that. Five generations of Americans have led the Revolution, and the time is coming when Americans will set this whole world free.”
If you want a simple introduction to the idea of American values, to liberty, and to the causes of growth, this book is a must read.
Her history does not follow the steps of generals and
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politicians, but rather that of normal people; the people who clear the land, make the clothes, build the railroads, raise the families and create their society. Most of them just don’t have time to be politically active, or to pursue critical literature. What they did do was to create America, drive its revolution, and create the greatest prosperity the world has ever known.Her political philosophy is mostly negative. How and why did this happen in the 100 years between 1800 and 1900, but not in the earlier 6,000 years of civilization? Wilder looks at some earlier examples, the Jews and the Saracens, and at some of the debts we owe them. Her conclusion is negative in the sense that she views their and our success as due to the idea that ‘Authority’ (the government, state, king, dictator, church, or emperor) either left them alone or was ignored, while they went about making progress as best they could.
She goes on to point that this growth has been slowed and blocked in the twentieth century, but remains optimistic as shown by her final remark. (Remember that Rose was writing while the outcome of WWII was still uncertain.) ”Win this war? Of course Americans will win this war… [but] there is more than that. Five generations of Americans have led the Revolution, and the time is coming when Americans will set this whole world free.”
If you want a simple introduction to the idea of American values, to liberty, and to the causes of growth, this book is a must read.
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LibraryThing member GRLopez
Just wanted to sample it, but maybe another time I'll read the entire thing. Very readable.
LibraryThing member BillRob
Very readable book on how American Founders came to their freedom and individual based foundation for a country. Heavy on religion, but people are religious.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1943
Physical description
278 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
1503117553 / 9781503117556
Local notes
Published 2012 by Laissez Faire Books
Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0.
Reprinted 2014 by Ripville Books
Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0.
Reprinted 2014 by Ripville Books
DDC/MDS
| 323.44 |
Collection
Pages
278