James Burnham
James Burnham
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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James Burnham was born as James Daniel Burnham on November 20, 1905. He is often referred to by his pen name, 'John East', when writing fiction.
Birth and Death Dates
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Burnham's life spanned from November 20, 1905, until July 28, 1987.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Born in Chicago, Illinois, Burnham was an American philosopher, historian, social theorist, literary critic, and novelist. His works touched upon various fields including philosophy, history, sociology, literature, politics, and economics.
Early Life and Background
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Burnham's early life was marked by a strong interest in intellectual pursuits. He attended Princeton University for his undergraduate studies before proceeding to Harvard University for graduate work. However, he did not complete his Ph.D., choosing instead to pursue an academic career at New York University (NYU) and later Columbia University.
Major Accomplishments
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- Philosophical Contributions: Burnham made significant contributions to the fields of philosophy and political theory. His concept of 'managerial revolution' proposed that industrial capitalist societies would evolve into bureaucratic oligarchies, rather than socialist ones.
- Literary Career: Under his pseudonym 'John East', he published several novels that gained recognition for their literary merit.
Notable Works or Actions
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Burnham's notable works include:
_The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom_ (1943) - a critique of the realist school in international relations.
_The Managerial Revolution_ (1941) - his magnum opus on the evolution of industrial capitalist societies into bureaucratic oligarchies.
* Strife of Systems - an unfinished manuscript that critiqued liberal and Marxist theories.
Impact and Legacy
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Burnham's ideas about the rise of managerialism had a lasting impact on political theory and sociology. His writings on politics, history, literature, philosophy, and economics have been widely read and studied by scholars from various disciplines.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Burnham is quoted for his insightful analysis of power structures within societies. His concept of the 'managerial revolution' remains a fundamental idea in contemporary discussions on the evolution of capitalism.
Quotes by James Burnham
He does no dreaming about a “perfect state” or “absolute justice.” In fact, Mosca suggests what I had occasion to mention in connection with Dante: namely, that political doctrines which promise utopias and absolute justice are very likely to lead to much worse social effects than doctrines less entrancing in appearance; that utopian programs may even be the most convenient of cloaks for those whose real aims are most rightly suspect.
He remembered the forceful hand that cast him to the earth. He’d fallen like a shooting star, his flesh burning until his wings fell away. Pain was something he had never known before. But even worse than the physical affliction was the knowledge that he would forevermore be denied Heaven.
Armaments do not, generally speaking, cause wars. This notion, the logical crux of all arguments in favor of disarmament, turns the causal relationship upside down. Actually, it is wars, or conflicts threatening war, that cause armaments, not the reverse.
An ideologue – one who thinks ideologically – can’t lose. He can’t lose because his answer, his interpretation and his attitude have been determined in advance of the particular experience or observation. They are derived from the ideology, and not subject to the facts.
He remembered the forceful hand that cast him to the earth. He'd fallen like a shooting star, his flesh burning until his wings fell away. Pain was something he had never known before. But even worse than the physical affliction was the knowledge that he would forevermore be denied Heaven.
Liberalism is the ideology of Western suicide. When once this initial and final sentence is understood, everything about liberalism - the beliefs, emotions and values associated with it, the nature of its enchantment, its practical record, its future - falls into place.
There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against the existing chief power. Oppositions which do not express genuine social forces are as trivial, in relation to entrenched power, as the old court jesters.