Contempt in America: Galbraith and Dworkin (criticism of the New Left leaders in the USA by R. Scruton)

Abstract

This article examines one of the key plots of the monograph by the English scientist Roger Vernon Scruton “Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left”, edited in London by Bloomsbury Publishing. This plot concerns the analysis and criticism of the views of two leading American representatives of the mentioned socio-political ideological direction: John Kenneth Galbraith and Ronald Dworkin. In each case, the author demonstrates an individual approach, individual assessments of his “wards”, plunging into the argumentation of the named thinkers, analysing along the way many independent plots. The author noted many of Scruton’s statements’ polemical fervour and undisguised provocativeness. However, he pays tribute to the outstanding intellectual abilities of his “attack” objects and tries to systematically and substantiate his attacks in detail. All this ultimately led to the appearance of a fairly original text, which, although not an outstanding work, will attract the attention of specialists and everyone interested in the topic of ideological confrontation in the modern world.