Book Reviews and Notices : Freedom and the Administrative State. BY JOSEPH ROSENFARB. (New York: Harper Brothers. 1948. Pp. xiii, 274. $4.00. )
| Published date | 01 September 1948 |
| Date | 01 September 1948 |
| Author | Charles R. Nixon |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591294800100316 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
318
The
essay
begins
with
a
brief
survey
of
&dquo;The
Philosophic
Century.&dquo;
A
second
division
is
concerned
with
two
17th
century
views
of
science
and
progress
which
were
presented
by
Descartes
and
Pascal.
These
are
demon-
strated
as
forerunners
of
the
two
principal
ideas
of
the
rationalists
on
pro-
gress.
The
transformation
of
these
ideas
in
the
18th
century
scene
through
carious
emphases-Cartesian,
utilitarian,
materialistic-is
next
presented,
followed
by
a
&dquo;consideration
of
the
interplay ...
between
absolute
con-
ceptions
of
science
and
the
emerging
historical
awareness
of
its
social
context
and
incidence.&dquo;
Lastly,
the
philosophy
of
Condorcet
serves
as
a
capstone
for
the
thought
of
the
school.
In
view
of
its
title
and
subject,
it
seems
inevitable
that
this
work
should
invite
comparison
with
Carl
Becker’s
celebrated
essay
on
the
18th
century
French
philosophers.
There
are
points
of
similarity.
The
metaphysical
character
of
the
thought
of
the
philosophes
is
emphasized
by
Mr.
Frankel,
though
he
does
not
go
as
far
as
did
Becker
in
establishing
an
identity
with
medieval
ideas.
Generally,
however,
the
two
treatments
are
complementary
rather
than
similar.
Becker
was
concerned
with
conveying
a
broad
view
of
rationalism.
Frankel
presents
a
meticulous,
discerning
analysis
of
the
thought
of
the
age,
proceeding
step
by
step.
In
so
doing,
he
demonstrates
the
variety
of
its
conclusions
and
the
successive
refinements
not
only
in
the
ideas
of
progress
but
also
in
the
whole
of
the
ideology
of
the
Enlightenment.
At
the
same
time,
this
analysis
underscores
the
parochial
character
of
the
theories
and
makes
dubious
their
20th
century
value.
The
book
was
awarded
the
Woodbridge
Prize
for
1947.
It
is
well
and
accurately
written,
and
it
makes
a
distinct
contribution
to
the
understanding
of
the
French
Age
of
Reason.
It
includes
a
good
bibliography
and
index.
THOMAS
P.
JENKIN.
University
of
California
at
Los
Angeles.
Freedom
and
the
Administrative
State.
BY
JOSEPH
ROSENFARB.
(New
York:
Harper
Brothers.
1948.
Pp. xiii, 274.
$4.00. )
How
can
we
achieve
economic
abundance and
security
without
losing
democratic
freedom
and
the
values
of
private
enterprise?
Mr.
Rosenfarb
finds
an
answer
in
&dquo;a
planned
economy
for
free
enterprise&dquo;
based
on
our
wartime
experience.
The
heart
of
the
planning
proposal
is
that
government
agencies
would
ascertain
our
total
needs,
and
resources,
and
would
set
production
quotas
for
private
enterprise.
Wages
and
prices
would
be
set
by
the
government,
strikes
would
be
eliminated
by
a
system
of
compulsory
arbitration,
markets
would
be
guaranteed
and
production
goals
sct.
With
these
burdens
removed
from
his
shoulders,
the
private
entrepreneur
could
then
proceed
on
his
merry
profit-making
way,
using
his
initiative
to
produce
his
assigned
quotas
more
efficiently
than
his
neighbors.
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