Rhetoric reaction. Perversion, futility, danger

The book of the outstanding economist and the historian of Albert O. Hirschman (b. 1915) is an attempt to mapping rhetoric, which was used by conservative politicians, economists and publicists - from Edmund Burke to Milton Friedman - to confront progressive programs and reforms over the past two centuries. Attracting many examples of reaction to the ideas of the Great French Revolution and the Declaration of Human Rights, Democratization and Consistent Movement to Universal Electoral Right in the 19th century and the state of universal well -being in the 20th century, the author identifies three main structural arguments of opponents of reforms: 1) the thesis of perversion, according to which Any action aimed at improving the political, social or economic structure invariably leads to completely opposite results, 2) the thesis of futility, according to which any attempts to transform society will not lead to anything, 3) the thesis of the danger that states that The proposed reforms will cost too much and will jeopardize past conquests. In the final chapter, Hirschman shows that such rhetorical moves are often used by supporters of reforms against their conservative opponents and are a serious obstacle to conducting meaningful democratic debates and political dialogue.
2nd edition