On Character: Essays (Landmarks of contemporary political Thought; JAMES Q. WILSON) Hardcover - 1991

Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: Aei Press. New. 1991. Hardcover. 0844737860 .*** FREE UPGRADE to Courier/Priority Shipping Upon Request *** - *** IN STOCK AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT - FLAWLESS COPY - AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY, WHY WAIT? -- clean and crisp, tight and bright pages, with no writing or markings to the text. Jacket extremely clean, has a few small tears o/w fine. -- TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1 Introduction: Thinking about Character * 2 The Rediscovery of Character: Private Virtue * 3 Incivility and Crime * 4 Character and Biology * 5 Character and Families * 6 Character and Young People: The 1940s * 7 Character and Young People: The 1960s * 8 Character versus Intellect: Habits of the Heart * 9 Liberalism versus a Liberal Education * 10 Character and Community: The Problem of Broken Windows * 11 The Enduring Problem of Business Ethics * 12 Character and Ecstasy: Against the Legalization of Drugs * 13 Learning More about Character - How Do Children Grow Up? * 14 The Moral Sense * Notes * Index * About the Author * Acknowledgments. -- DESCRIPTION: Kirkus Reviews: "Elegantly written essays on elevating standards of behavior in today's world. Wilson (Public Policy/UCLA) is best known as a student of crime (Crime and Human Nature, 1985, with Richard Herrnstein; Thinking About Crime, 1975). His knowledge of why humans misbehave informs this group of speeches, articles, and reflections on character, by which he means good character. Empathy and self- control are major constituents of that virtue, which leads to consideration of one's neighbor without undue restrictions on one's own behavior. Wilson explores how American concepts of character were formed (via the Enlightenment) but not fired in the kiln of strong debate. He looks at government, schools, families, and biology as molders of character, and at crime, failed ethics, and arguments for the legalization of drugs as symptoms of character flaws. How can we be certain that America's youth, especially its young men, will emerge as 20th-century adults with 18th-century polish? Wilson can only guess, and he proposes a broad study of urban male children that could provide some helpful data. Labeled a neoconservative (although he demurs) , Wilson pokes at liberals, sometimes with good humor, sometimes with contempt (he holds no brief for ``Palo Alto cocktail parties''). Filled with self- confessed ``gaping intellectual holes, '' the essays also occasionally show an appalling lack of empathy. For instance, in a discussion of democracy, Wilson says that the US ``functioned democratically (except for the denial of the vote to women and blacks)....' ' That's quite an exception. A melange of ideas, some provocative, written with grace, civility, and wit. But however appealing to readers, it presents no clear guidelines for forming character or public policy. " * * -- with a bonus offer-- .