Moral Man And Immoral Society : A Study In Ethics And Politics (Paperback)

from deusvitae

A discussion of politics and ethics, both of the individual and the state. The author does well at showing how men can be moral persons yet how societies tend to be inherently immoral. He seeks to see equal justice as the direction toward which societies should go, ideally through non-violent coe...

from aitastaes

Arguably his most famous book, Moral Man and Immoral Society is Reinhold Niebuhr's important early study (1932) in ethics and politics. Widely read and continually relevant, this book marked Niebuhr's decisive break from progressive religion and politics toward a more deeply tragic view of human ...

from GlennBell

I had a really hard time understanding the author. His verbiage is at times vague and difficult. This is a rare case in which I decided to stop at halfway through the book and not waste anymore of my time.

from HadriantheBlind

Very interesting and skeptical view of individual vs. group morality, and would be very useful for one attempting to enact positive change in society.

from le.vert.galant

Niebuhr's central insight is that personal morality and group mentality are incompatible and that the latter will always trump the former. This means that social change can only be achieved through political means and by economic coercion. Ethics and education may change individual minds but they...