James Burnham Books
James Burnham (1905–1987) was an American political theorist, philosopher, and former Trotskyist who became a leading conservative thinker. He was a founding editor of the magazine National Review and the author of several influential works on political theory and international relations.
Known for: Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism, The Managerial Revolution: What Is Happening in the World
Books by James Burnham
Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism
In this influential 1964 work, political theorist James Burnham argues that Western liberalism, by embracing moral relativism and rejecting the will to power, has become a self-destructive ideology. H...
The Managerial Revolution: What Is Happening in the World
In this influential 1941 work, political theorist James Burnham argues that capitalism and traditional democracy are being replaced by a new social order dominated by managers—technocrats, bureaucrats...
Key Insights from James Burnham
Historical Context
To comprehend liberalism’s current form, we must begin with its birth in the Enlightenment. The eighteenth century gave rise to a faith in reason, humanitarianism, and progress—a worldview that sought to liberate mankind from superstition and tyranny. Liberalism, in its early manifestations, was the...
From Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism
The Liberal View of Man
At the center of liberalism lies its anthropology, its belief about what man is. Liberalism conceives of man as good by nature, corrupted only by social institutions or ignorance. Correct these conditions through education, reform, and rational discourse, and man will emerge as rational, peaceful, a...
From Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism
Historical Background
The starting point of any analysis of the managerial revolution must be the decline of capitalism as a system of ownership and control. For centuries, the capitalist order was grounded in the private ownership of production by individuals or small groups who derived their wealth from profit. The ind...
From The Managerial Revolution: What Is Happening in the World
The Concept of Managerial Society
When I speak of the managerial society, I refer to a social structure defined by control rather than ownership. The managerial class is composed of those who, through technical and administrative competence, direct production and governance. They are not capitalists in the old sense, nor workers in ...
From The Managerial Revolution: What Is Happening in the World
About James Burnham
James Burnham (1905–1987) was an American political theorist, philosopher, and former Trotskyist who became a leading conservative thinker. He was a founding editor of the magazine National Review and the author of several influential works on political theory and international relations.
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James Burnham (1905–1987) was an American political theorist, philosopher, and former Trotskyist who became a leading conservative thinker. He was a founding editor of the magazine National Review and the author of several influential works on political theory and international relations.
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