1st Edition
Laws, Men and Machines (Routledge Revivals) Modern American Government and the Appeal of Newtonian Mechanics
By Michael Foley
Copyright 1990
298 Pages
by
Routledge
308 Pages
by
Routledge
294 Pages
by
Routledge
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First published in 1990, Laws, Men and Machines is an original interpretation of the lasting influence that Newtonian mechanics has had on the design and operation of the American political system. The author argues that it is this mechanistic tradition that now instinctively shapes the way we conceive of, analyse, and evaluate American politics, and that the Newtonian conception of the world still finds expression in the 'checks and balances' of the American system.
1. Newtonian mechanics and American constitutionalism 2. The death of constitutional Newtonianism 3. The perpetuation of constitutional mechanics 4. The Presidency, the Congress and the separation of paradigms 5. A government of laws, men and mechanics
Biography
Foley, Michael
'Michael Foley's book is marvellous... A serious exploration, careful, and controlled, of a seminal idea in American politics' - Professor Aaron Widlavsky