Renunciation as a creative force is the animating idea behind Ross Posnock’s new book. Taking up acts of abandonment, rejection, and refusal that have long baffled critics, he shows how renunciation has reframed the relationship of writers, philosophers, and artists to society in productive and unpredictable ways.
In this exploration of modern legal culture, Friedman addresses how the contemporary idea of individual rights has altered the legal systems and authority structures of Western societies. Every aspect of law, he argues—from civil rights to personal-injury litigation to divorce law—has been profoundly reshaped, reflecting the power of this concept.
Francis Cogliano revisits the relationship between Washington and Jefferson, arguing that their vaunted differences mask mutual investments in the Revolution itself. Their later divergence demonstrates how wartime unity gave way to competing visions for the new nation, making clear that there was no single founding ideal-only compromise.
Shah Abdul Latif's Risalo is acknowledged as the greatest classic of Sindhi literature. In this collection of Sufi verses, composed for musical performance, the poet creates a vast imaginative world of interlocking references to Islamic themes of mystical and divine love and the scenery, society, and legends of the Sindh region.
The Risalo is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Sindhi literature, cherished across South Asia and the diaspora. This collection of short Sufi verses, originally crafted for musical performance, weaves a rich tapestry of mystical and divine love, drawing on both Islamic tradition and local Sindhi society.
Harvey C. Mansfield traces the birth of modern political philosophy to Machiavelli’s brief on behalf of rational control of human affairs, which became the basis of liberalism. But Rousseau, Kant, Marx, and Hegel all issued challenges, and finally Nietzsche doubted reason entirely. Mansfield asks how we can extract ourselves from Nietzsche’s trap.
As the rest of the world worries about what a future might look like under Chinese supremacy, Luttwak worries about China's own future prospects. Applying the logic of strategy for which he is well known, he argues that the world's second largest economy may be headed for a fall unless China's leaders check their military ambitions.