Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left

A devastating critique of New Left thinking, exposing the lack of coherence in the works of Althusser, Lacan, Deleuze, Badiou, and Žižek. Scruton ponders why the humanities have become so unambiguously aligned to the left and reveals how fully such thinking has seized the academy in its grasp.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 07 March 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

A scathing critique of New Left thinking, Roger Scruton's Fools, Frauds, and Firebrands delves into the examination and dismantling of the revered idols of left-wing thought from the 1960s to the present day. Scruton meticulously surveys the works of prominent thinkers such as Hobsbawm, E. P. Thompson, Galbraith, Dworkin, Sartre, and Foucault, exposing their lack of coherence and inconsistencies. He also critically analyzes the works of Althusser, Lacan, Deleuze, Badiou, and Žižek, questioning their philosophical frameworks and their influence on the academy. Scruton explores the reasons behind the overwhelming alignment of the humanities with the left, revealing how this thinking has permeated the academic realm. In this thought-provoking, captivating, and highly entertaining book, Scruton exposes the prevalence of empty rhetoric and blatant nonsense in contemporary philosophy, offering a devastating demolition of some of today's most fashionable philosophers.

Weight: 330g
Dimension: 213 x 175 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472965219