Books by Pierre Manent

One of France's leading and most controversial political thinkers explores the central themes of Tocqueville's writings: the democratic revolution and the modern passion for equality.

In this collection of writings, French philosopher Pierre Manent addresses a range of subjects, including the Machiavellian origins of modernity, Tocqueville's analysis of democracy, the political role of Christianity, the nature of totalitarianism and the future of the nation-state.

Highlighting social tensions that confront the liberal tradition, this book draws a portrait of what we, citizens of modern liberal democracies, have become. It argues that the frequent incapacity of the morally neutral, democratic state to further social causes derives from the liberal stance that political life does not serve a higher purpose.

Argues that the West has rejected the laws of God and of nature in a quest for human autonomy. This book contends that, in declaring ourselves free and autonomous, we have, paradoxically, lost a sense of what it means to be human. It offers an analysis of the confusions and contradictions at the heart of the modern condition.