Reviews for Political Parties and the State: The American Historical Experience

The average rating for Political Parties and the State: The American Historical Experience based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-08-02 00:00:00 Dan Gopstein Michael Egan's biography Barry Commoner and the Science of Survival weaves together some of the most important ideological threads from the history of science, medicine, and environment. In this well written and organized biography, Egan dusts off contemporary notions of the environmental movement and presents the reader with Commoner's "apparatus." Commoner argued that scientists should engage the public by placing information in their hands and allowing political, ethical, and environmental decisions to be influenced by grassroots responses to the information. Egan argues that this "apparatus" was once a potent tool and was influential in the establishment and empowerment of the early disarmament movement and more specifically in the public outrage concerning radioisotopes resulting from nuclear testing during the 1950s. Indeed, this apparatus, was central to the diplomacy and legislation leading up to the atmospheric nuclear test ban. Commoner also called for the use of the "precautionary principle" during a time when national security and corporate interests were seen as pillars of western freedom and survival. By outlining Commoner's alignment of scientific knowledge, technological innovations, and social justice, Egan illuminates the roots of the "environmental justice" movement typically associated with the 1980s/90s. In doing this, he also illustrates the public scientific debates that were representative of larger rifts amongst environmentalists and scientists throughout the 1970s, leading to the temporary dismantlement of Commoner's apparatus for another 20 years or so. This book is an exemplary model for an academic biography. It ties together major historical themes and ideas from several fields, yet never loses sight of Barry Commoner and his role as a public scientist. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the roots of ecology, environmentalism, social justice, and public science.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-04-01 00:00:00 Jeffrey Swall Quite a bit of political bias towards the end.