Arnold Toynbee and the Western Tradition: Foreword by William H. McNeill (American University Studies) - Hardcover

Perry, Marvin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820426717 ISBN 13: 9780820426716

Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 1996

Synopsis

Arnold Toynbee was the most prolific historian of the twentieth century. In his massive A Study of History, Toynbee made a comparative study of all the world's civilizations, surviving and extinct, analyzing their rise, growth, breakdown, and disintegration. Arnold Toynbee and the Western Tradition summarizes and appraises Toynbee's understanding of the nature, evolution, and destiny of Western civilization, focusing on his critique of the liberal-rational tradition.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Marvin Perry makes the intellectual structure of Toynbee's massive A Study of History conveniently accessible to readers for whom the bulk of the original is too much to wrestle with. It g es further by also assessing Toynbee's intellectual importance, balancing his critics with his admirers, and offering an informed judgment about how Toynbee compels us at the close of the twentieth century to reexamine the faith in reason (to which Perry himself adheres) and to recognize the critical role that 'volcanic eruptions of the irrational' continue to play in human affairs. This is indeed no small lesson to be drawn from Toynbee's pages. from the Foreword by William H. McNeill Arnold Toynbee was the most prolific historian of the twentieth century. In his work, A Study of History, Toynbee made a comparative study of all the world's civilizations, surviving and extinct, analyzing their rise, growth, breakdown, and disintegration. Arnold Toynbee and the Western Tradition summarizes and appraises Toynbee's understanding of the nature, evolution, and destiny of Western civilization, focusing on his critique of the liberal-rational tradition.

Marvin Perry deserves our gratitude for restoring Toynbee to our attention. As we approach a new millennium, we urgently need his all-inclusive historical perspective and spiritual insights. Theodore H. Von Laue, Frances and Jacob Hiatt Professor of European History (Emeritus), Clark University

In an age of globalization, this balanced account of the life and thought of the pioneering ecumenical historian, Arnold Toynbee, takes on added significance. Perry's is a clear and thoughtful treatment of major themes related to our understanding of the nature of civilization and our Western traditions, especially those concerning reason and religion. Bruce Mazlish, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

About the Author:

The Author: Marvin Perry taught history at Baruch College, City University of New York. His books include An Intellectual History of Modern Europe; Western Civilization: A Brief History; Toynbee Reappraisals (co-editor); and Jewish-Christian Encounters Over the Centuries (co-editor).

About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0820426717
• ISBN 13: 9780820426716
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 145