| Description |
xviii, 238 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Series |
Critical perspectives |
|
Critical perspectives (New York, N.Y.)
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-233) and index. |
| Summary |
In a world where we continue to settle our differences with guns and bombs, many of us perceive any philosophy of nonviolence as passive, outdated, and intrinsically bound to religious beliefs. We laud one of the most famous proponents of nonviolent resistance, Martin Luther King, Jr., as an activist and orator, but seldom acknowledge him as an important intellectual. Seeking to correct these misunderstandings, Greg Moses' powerful book at last recognizes King as one of the greatest thinkers of our time - one whose philosophy has deep, unappreciated roots and lasting consequences. Identifying five fundamental concepts shaping King's philosophy - equality, structure, direct action, love, and justice - this book traces the development of a secular logic of nonviolence. Reviewing the works of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, activist-scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, labor leader A. Philip Randolph, mystic theologian Howard Thurman, and Nobel laureate Ralph J. Bunche, Moses argues against the popular notion that King's principles of nonviolence were imported to black America from elsewhere. He situates these principles instead within African American intellectual history, showing how King's comprehensive and disciplined approach to liberation builds upon a rich legacy of militant struggle against oppression and offers a sturdy framework for critical activity in our complex world. |
| Contents |
Introduction: The Logic of Nonviolence. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the American Intellectual. King's Life and Thought. King and Contemporary Thought -- Ch. 1. Equality. Frederick Douglass and the Criteria of Intellectual Honesty. King's American Dream. The Example of Frederick Douglass. Philosophy's Color Line -- Ch. 2. Structure and Race. W.E.B. Du Bois and the Problem of the Color Line. Reviewing King's Usage. Nineteenth-Century Precedents. The Century of the Color Line. Little Kingdom of Salt -- Ch. 3. Structure and Class. A. Philip Randolph, Ralph J. Bunche, and the Context of Class Analysis. Classical Foundations of Structural Theory. Class Analysis Meets Race. Randolph vs. Du Bois. Imperatives of Radical Theory. Bunche's World View. King and the Race-Class Question -- Ch. 4. Nonviolent Direct Action. Howard Thurman and the Ethics of Love. Jesus as Ethical Model. The Tactic Defended. Breaking the Cycle of Fear. Six Aspects of Nonviolent Struggle. An Experimental Technique. Thurman's View of Jesus -- Ch. 5. Justice and Love. Of Ends and Means. Bringing Love to Black Power. Bringing Justice to Liberalism. King's World House of Tough-Minded Love. Jesus in Jail in Texas. A Philosophy of Liberation? Epilogue for a Tough Mind. |
| Subject |
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 -- Philosophy.
|
|
African Americans -- Intellectual life -- 20th century.
|
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Nonviolence -- United States.
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African Americans -- Civil rights.
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African American intellectuals.
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King, Martin Luther, 1929-1968 -- Philosophy.
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King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 (OCoLC)fst00040023
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African American intellectuals. (OCoLC)fst00799204
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African Americans -- Civil rights.
(OCoLC)fst00799575
|
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African Americans -- Intellectual life.
(OCoLC)fst00799627
|
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Nonviolence. (OCoLC)fst01039027
|
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Philosophy. (OCoLC)fst01060777
|
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
|
|
King, Martin Luther 1929-1968 (DE-588)118562215
|
|
Gewaltlosigkeit (DE-588)4020835-7
|
|
King, Martin Luther.
|
| Chronological Term |
1900-1999
|
| ISBN |
1572301694 (acid-free paper) |
|
9781572301696 (acid-free paper) |
|
1572304073 |
|
9781572304079 |
|
