The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World

University of Washington professors Montgomery (international studies) and Chirot (Russian and Eurasian studies) look at three thinkers and ideas that represent “Enlightenment liberalism”: Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”; Karl Marx’s “dialectical materialism”; and Charles Darwin’s “natural selection.” The fourth idea is presented as an ongoing debate, which originated with Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, on the virtues of centralized versus decentralized government. After a clear presentation of these ideas, their evolution, and distortions, the authors turn to “secular and religious reactions against the Enlightenment.” The prominent movements of anti-modernism include Christian and Islamic fundamentalism as well as fascism, with its “admiration of violence and direct action,” focus on “the mythic origins of the nation,” and “worship of a heroic national leader.” The strongest chapter addresses Christian fundamentalism in relation to contemporary American politics. The authors also offer a clear exposition of the Islamic fundamentalist thinker Sayyid Qutb, which is particularly helpful in understanding the intellectual roots of al-Qaeda and ISIS. The book sometimes covers too much too quickly, but it is a solid, idea-rich examination of how formative 18th- and 19th-century ideas germinated into the belief systems that have governed the 20th and 21st centuries. [em](June) [/em]