| Title | : | Thomas Jefferson: Moralist |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1476628173 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781476628172 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 268 |
| Publication | : | Published March 22, 2017 |
Some Jefferson scholars consider him at best a moral dilettante with incoherent views. Others see him as a Stoic, interested in virtue as measured by both intentions and outcomes, who in later life became an Epicurean, weighing pleasure versus ends.
Drawing on a careful reading of his writings and an examination of his known readings on morality, this study argues that Jefferson developed early a consistent moral sense--Stoical in essence and focused on his own moral improvement--and maintained it throughout his life.
Thomas Jefferson: Moralist Reviews
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In his previous book,
Thomas Jefferson: Uncovering His Unique Philosophy and Vision, M. Andrew Holowchak places Jefferson under a magnifying glass. I recommend that book to everyone. I recommend
Thomas Jefferson: Moralist to anyone who really wants a detailed up close look at Jefferson as here the subject is placed under a scanning electron microscope and related to Jefferson's daily drive and struggle toward moral progress, for himself as well as his country. Hollowchak draws supported and reasonable conclusions from very deep analyses of Jefferson's record, including his correspondence with many of his contemporaries, including Maria Cosway and reading lists suggested to friends and family between 1771 and 1824, and how Jefferson organized the books of the four libraries he owned. The depth of these analysis are everything from thrilling to finally see, and insightful to degrees I had not imagined possible and nearly overwhelming. For Jefferson, nearly everything from aesthetics, nature, natural religion, truth, history, education, politics, social contracts, and even rationality were all funneled through the lens of Jefferson's moral sense.
One of the authors goals was to show, while Jefferson did embrace reason, but he embraced a "right-reason", that without a moral sense reason amounted to little; this goal was strongly accomplished. Also, it is impossible to read a work and fall in line with those seeking to malign or even cancel Jefferson as a flawed, undeserving, and immoral man by the standards of any time, his own or ours.
It has been said that reading a book is like having a conversation with the author. In this case the level of intimate detail provided was like having a conversation with Jefferson as well.
