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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic defense of freedom, 25 Jul 2004
First published in 1947, this book is both a condensation and an amplification of Rose Wilder Lane's classic Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority. With Lane's consent, Weaver retold her story in his own way, making use of her ideas but adding material from his personal experience and other relevant sources.
Part One: Comparisons and Contrasts, explores various puzzling questions of history in the context of the concept of human energy. In this sphere three crucial factors are identified: the nature of human energy, the recognition of the human race as one & the quest for the ideal method for individuals to combine their energies.
Part Two: Old World Views, contrasts the fatalistic pagan outlook on life with the Judeo-Christian view of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The pagan view of life was static, time was seen as cyclical and authority was absolute; the Bible speaks of time as linear and even the King of Israel was subject to the law. The pantheons of the Sumerian, Semitic & Indo-European peoples consisted of capricious & indifferent deities whereas Scripture reveals a compassionate Father.
Part Three: The Revolution, looks at mankind's attempts to attain individual freedom: the ancient Israelites, the golden age of Islamic civilization, Britain and the American Revolution. The era of the Judges was libertarian, for a while the Islamic world carried the torch of liberty, the British adhered to a principle of freedom granted (Magna Carta) within circumscribed social classes whilst the American Revolution finally recognized the individual as inherently free.
Part Four: The Fruits Of Freedom, investigates the results of the acceptance of personal liberty, including the flowering of inventive genius that followed. It also explores, in the light of history, concepts of hope versus fear, freedom of choice, the dynamic versus the static, the moral versus the material, control versus creativity & voluntary co-operation that proved to be a dynamo of prosperity.
The writing style is accessible and absorbing; interesting quotes by people like Thomas Paine, Fredric Bastiat and Isabel Paterson enhance the text. In a thought-provoking way, the book explains many problems still plaguing the world today, tracing them back to the ancient conflict between pagan fatalism and the principles of the Hebrew tradition.
Of course there are non-religious philosophies of freedom based on reason alone, and the aforementioned Paine was a theist who was opposed to dogmatic religion. But whether one agrees with all of Weaver's points or not, The Mainspring Of Human Progress is a classic that remains an eloquent defense of individual liberty. The book concludes with a list of references, a bibliography and an index.
On the subject of individual freedom, I also recommend the work of Ludwig von Mises, Alfred North Whitehead, Stefan Hoeller, Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, And Utopia, Milton Friedman and Johan Norberg. The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek and the work of Ayn Rand are highly relevant for our time.
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