Nisbet was born in Los Angeles in 1913. He was raised with his three brothers and one sister[1] in the small California community of Maricopa,[2] where his father managed a lumber yard. His studies at University of California, Berkeley culminated in a Ph.D. in sociology in 1939. His thesis was supervised by Frederick J. Teggart. At Berkeley, "Nisbet found a powerful defense of intermediate institutions in the conservative thought of 19th-century Europe. Nisbet saw in thinkers like Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville—then all but unknown in American scholarship—an argument on behalf of what he called 'conservative pluralism.'"[2] He joined the faculty there in 1939.[1]
Nisbet's first important work, The Quest for Community (New York: Oxford University Press, [1953] 1969), claimed that modern social science's individualism denied an important human drive toward community as it left people without the aid of their fellows to combat the centralizing power of the nation-state. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat called it "arguably the 20th century's most important work of conservative sociology."[5]
Nisbet began his career as a leftist but later confessed a conversion to a philosophical conservatism.[6] While he consistently described himself as a conservative, he also "famously defended abortion rights and publicly attacked the foreign policy of President Ronald Reagan."[7]
He was a contributor to Chronicles. He was especially concerned with tracing the history and impact of the Idea of Progress.[8] He challenged conventional sociological theories about progress and modernity, insisting on the negative consequences of the loss of traditional forms of community, a process that he believed was greatly accelerated by World War I. According to British sociologist Daniel Chernilo, for Nisbet, "The sociological interest in the formation of modern society lies in whether and how it can re-invigorate forms of communal life and, if not, in understanding what will be the consequences of such failure." Nisbet, thus, "inverts what had been until then the mainstream proposition that society was more important, both historically and normatively, than community."[9] Chernilo also critically observed that Nisbet's "argument on the Great War [World War I] that marks the transition from community to society offers a one-sided view of the historical process as moving unequivocally towards a decaying condition."[10]
Bibliographyedit
This article lacks ISBNs for the books listed. Please help add the ISBNs or run the citation bot.(August 2020)
Booksedit
1953. The Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom
1966. The Sociological Tradition
1968. Tradition and Revolt: Historical and Sociological Essays
1969. Social Change and History: Aspects of the Western Theory of Development
1970. The Social Bond: An Introduction to the Study of Society
1971. The Degradation of the Academic Dogma: The University in America, 1945–1970
1976. Sociology as an Art Form
1973. The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought
Church, Mike, 2012, "Robert Nisbet and the Rise of the Machines," 2013-06-27 at the Wayback MachineThe Imaginative Conservative.
Elliott, Winston, III, 2010, "War, Crisis and Centralization of Power" 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, The Imaginative Conservative (blog).
Gordon, Daniel. "The Voice of History within Sociology: Robert Nisbet on Structure, Change, and Autonomy," Historical Reflections (2012) 38#1 pp. 43–63
Hill, Fred Donovan, 1978, "Robert Nisbet and the Idea of Community," The University Bookman, Volume 18, Number 3.
Mancini, Matthew J. "Too Many Tocquevilles: The Fable of Tocqueville’s American Reception", Journal of the History of Ideas, Volume 69, Number 2, April 2008, pp. 245–268.
McWilliams, Susan, Hometown Hero: Robert Nisbet’s conservatism of community against the state 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, The American Conservative (Feb. 1, 2010)
Nagel, Robert F., 2004, "States and Localities: A Comment on Robert Nisbet's Communitarianism," Publius, Vol. 34, No. 4.
Schrum, Ethan. The Instrumental University: Education in Service of the National Agenda after World War II. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2019.
Stone, Brad Lowell, 1998 (Spring), "A True Sociologist: Robert Nisbet", The Intercollegiate Review: 38–42.
robert, nisbet, other, people, named, disambiguation, robert, alexander, nisbet, september, 1913, september, 1996, american, conservative, sociologist, professor, university, california, berkeley, vice, chancellor, university, california, riverside, albert, sc. For other people named Robert Nisbet see Robert Nisbet disambiguation Robert Alexander Nisbet ˈ n ɪ z b ɪ t September 30 1913 September 9 1996 was an American conservative sociologist a professor at the University of California Berkeley Vice Chancellor at the University of California Riverside and an Albert Schweitzer Professor at Columbia University Contents 1 Life 2 Ideas 3 Bibliography 3 1 Books 3 2 Articles 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksLife editNisbet was born in Los Angeles in 1913 He was raised with his three brothers and one sister 1 in the small California community of Maricopa 2 where his father managed a lumber yard His studies at University of California Berkeley culminated in a Ph D in sociology in 1939 His thesis was supervised by Frederick J Teggart At Berkeley Nisbet found a powerful defense of intermediate institutions in the conservative thought of 19th century Europe Nisbet saw in thinkers like Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville then all but unknown in American scholarship an argument on behalf of what he called conservative pluralism 2 He joined the faculty there in 1939 1 After serving in the United States Army during World War II when he was stationed on Saipan in the Pacific Theatre Nisbet founded the Department of Sociology at Berkeley and was briefly Chairman Nisbet left an embroiled Berkeley in 1953 to become a dean at the University of California Riverside and later a Vice Chancellor Nisbet remained in the University of California system until 1972 when he left for the University of Arizona at Tucson Soon after he was appointed to the Albert Schweitzer Chair at Columbia He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1972 and the American Philosophical Society in 1973 3 4 On retiring from Columbia in 1978 Nisbet continued his scholarly work for eight years at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington D C In 1988 President Ronald Reagan asked him to deliver the Jefferson Lecture in Humanities sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities He died at 82 in Washington DC Ideas editNisbet s first important work The Quest for Community New York Oxford University Press 1953 1969 claimed that modern social science s individualism denied an important human drive toward community as it left people without the aid of their fellows to combat the centralizing power of the nation state New York Times columnist Ross Douthat called it arguably the 20th century s most important work of conservative sociology 5 Nisbet began his career as a leftist but later confessed a conversion to a philosophical conservatism 6 While he consistently described himself as a conservative he also famously defended abortion rights and publicly attacked the foreign policy of President Ronald Reagan 7 He was a contributor to Chronicles He was especially concerned with tracing the history and impact of the Idea of Progress 8 He challenged conventional sociological theories about progress and modernity insisting on the negative consequences of the loss of traditional forms of community a process that he believed was greatly accelerated by World War I According to British sociologist Daniel Chernilo for Nisbet The sociological interest in the formation of modern society lies in whether and how it can re invigorate forms of communal life and if not in understanding what will be the consequences of such failure Nisbet thus inverts what had been until then the mainstream proposition that society was more important both historically and normatively than community 9 Chernilo also critically observed that Nisbet s argument on the Great War World War I that marks the transition from community to society offers a one sided view of the historical process as moving unequivocally towards a decaying condition 10 Bibliography editThis article lacks ISBNs for the books listed Please help add the ISBNs or run the citation bot August 2020 Books edit 1953 The Quest for Community A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom 1966 The Sociological Tradition 1968 Tradition and Revolt Historical and Sociological Essays 1969 Social Change and History Aspects of the Western Theory of Development 1970 The Social Bond An Introduction to the Study of Society 1971 The Degradation of the Academic Dogma The University in America 1945 1970 1976 Sociology as an Art Form 1973 The Social Philosophers Community and Conflict in Western Thought 1974 The Sociology of Emile Durkheim 1975 The Twilight of Authority 1980 History of the Idea of Progress 1983 Prejudices A Philosophical Dictionary 1986 The Making of Modern Society 1986 Conservatism Dream and Reality 1988 The Present Age ISBN 0060159022 1988 Roosevelt and Stalin The Failed Courtship 1992 Teachers and Scholars A Memoir of Berkeley in Depression and War Articles edit Foreign Policy and the American Mind Commentary September 1961 pp 194 203 The Nemesis of Authority PDF The Intercollegiate Review Winter Spring 1972 The New Despotism Commentary July 1976 Conservatives and Libertarians Uneasy Cousins Modern Age Winter 1980 Roosevelt and Stalin I PDF Modern Age Spring 1986 Roosevelt and Stalin II PDF Modern Age Summer Fall 1986 Still Questing PDF The Intercollegiate Review Fall 1993 Was There an American Revolution The American Conservative August 3 2012 social science Britannica Academic Primary Contributor References edit a b Woods Thomas 2005 12 05 Twilight of Conservatism Archived 2011 08 30 at the Wayback Machine The American Conservative a b McWilliams Susan 2010 02 01 Hometown Hero Archived 2018 07 09 at the Wayback Machine The American Conservative Robert Alexander Nisbet American Academy of Arts amp Sciences Archived from the original on 2022 08 15 Retrieved 2022 08 15 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Archived from the original on 2022 08 15 Retrieved 2022 08 15 Douthat Ross March 15 2014 The Age of Individualism New York Times Archived from the original on April 21 2016 Retrieved February 12 2017 Robert Nisbet The Quest For Community 1953 Luke C Sheehan Robert Nisbet Reappraisal of a Political Sociologist The Political Science Reviewer 42 2 2018 385 397 385 Nisbet Robert 1979 A History of the Idea of Progress Daniel Chernilo Social Change and Progress in the Sociology of Robert Nisbet Society 52 2015 324 334 Chernilo Social Change 329 Further reading editCarey George W July 2010 Nisbet War and American Republic Archived 2011 06 12 at the Wayback Machine The Imaginative Conservative Church Mike 2012 Robert Nisbet and the Rise of the Machines Archived 2013 06 27 at the Wayback Machine The Imaginative Conservative Elliott Winston III 2010 War Crisis and Centralization of Power Archived 2015 09 24 at the Wayback Machine The Imaginative Conservative blog Gordon Daniel The Voice of History within Sociology Robert Nisbet on Structure Change and Autonomy Historical Reflections 2012 38 1 pp 43 63 Hill Fred Donovan 1978 Robert Nisbet and the Idea of Community The University Bookman Volume 18 Number 3 Mancini Matthew J Too Many Tocquevilles The Fable of Tocqueville s American Reception Journal of the History of Ideas Volume 69 Number 2 April 2008 pp 245 268 McWilliams Susan Hometown Hero Robert Nisbet s conservatism of community against the state Archived 2011 08 28 at the Wayback Machine The American Conservative Feb 1 2010 Nagel Robert F 2004 States and Localities A Comment on Robert Nisbet s Communitarianism Publius Vol 34 No 4 Perrin Robert 1999 Robert Alexander Nisbet PDF Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 143 4 695 710 Archived from the original PDF on 2006 08 30 Schrum Ethan The Instrumental University Education in Service of the National Agenda after World War II Ithaca NY Cornell University Press 2019 Stone Brad Lowell 1998 Spring A True Sociologist Robert Nisbet The Intercollegiate Review 38 42 Stone Brad Lowell 2000 Robert Nisbet Communitarian Traditionalist Intercollegiate Studies Institute ISBN 978 1882926480 Stromberg Joseph 2000 The Under Appreciated Robert Nisbet antiwar com Thomas Robert McG Robert Nisbet 82 Sociologist And Conservative Champion The New York Times September 12 1996 Wolfe Alan 2010 Remembering Alienation New Republic External links editWorks by Robert Nisbet at JSTOR Appearances on C SPAN Robert Nisbet and Our Continuing Quest for Community Stone Alan June 29 2005 Robert Nisbet and the Conservative Intellectual Tradition Audio and video lecture Ludwig von Mises Institute Portals nbsp Conservatism nbsp Economics nbsp Liberalism nbsp Libertarianism nbsp Politics Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Nisbet amp oldid 1150328009, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
