Books by John McGowan

John McGowan seeks to identify the goals and strategies of contemporary humanistic intellectuals who strive to shape the politics and culture of their time. In a lively mix of personal reflection and shrewd analysis, McGowan visits the sites of intellectual activity (scholarly publications, professional conferences, the classroom, and the...

What are the basic values and commitments of American liberals? This title answers this question. Tracing a tradition that extends from James Madison through Franklin Delano Roosevelt to today, this title emphasizes liberalism's distribution of power throughout society in order to secure freedom and equality.

Hannah Arendt's most important contribution to political thought may be her well-known and often-cited notion of the "right to have rights." In this incisive and wide-ranging book, Peg Birmingham explores the theoretical and social foundations of Arendt's philosophy on human rights.