The American Soul: Rediscovering The Wisdom Of The Founders

The American Soul: Rediscovering The Wisdom Of The Founders

In a series of concise portraits of America's founders, the author ofMoney and the Meaning of Lifeexamines how the spiritual beliefs and vision of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and others shaped American history and culture and assesses the influence of the spiritual traditions of African slaves, Native Americans, and early mystical communities on early America. 30,000 first printing.From Publishers WeeklySan Francisco State philosophy professor and author Needleman (Money and the Meaning of Life) invites readers to contemplate the deeper spiritual meaning of the American legacy of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Finding a deep resonance between the founding principles of this country and the ancient spiritual quest for an inner liberation, Needleman proceeds to examine and "remythologize" the founders and some of their great deeds. Subjective rather than academic, at times lyrical, provocative, and profound, Needleman's new work infuses contemplation with a child's sense (a sense that most of us share) of boundless faith in a place "that accepted one's true inner self, one's inner good will, one's real wish to serve..." The reader is asked to consider Franklin's courageous experimentation ("...the man played and worked with lightening!"), Washington's restraint retiring from the army and later from the presidency rather than exploiting his matchless popularity and political power, Jefferson's brilliant articulation of the value of community, and the sheer gravity and awareness in Lincoln's face. Each man is presented as embodying a different facet of the inner freedom and integrity that is achieved only as one learns to live in accord with conscience that is, with a deeper self that is, Needleman says, allowed to develop in this country. While Needleman clearly finds much to love about America, he balances our light with our darkness, our genuine good will and spirituality with our great crimes of slavery and the genocidal abuse of the American Indian. Decidedly not for strict materialists or historical literalists, Needleman's latest work gives open-minded readers a new set of spiritual role models and much valuable food for thought at a crucial moment.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalAn eclectic mixture of autobiography, U.S. intellectual history, philosophical inquiry, and spiritual wonderment, this extended meditative essay examines "America as an Idea" by uncovering the latent wisdom of many of its shining lights Benjamin Franklin, William Penn, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman. Needleman, a philosophy professor and author of Money and the Meaning of Life, reinterprets the lives of each of these leaders in the context of their strong spiritual beliefs and their contributions to unifying a deeply divided body politic. The author liberally quotes classical philosophers, historians, biographers, and the subjects themselves, and he often interjects his own life experiences and spiritual beliefs into his loosely structured narrative. Needleman also tackles what he considers to be America's two most grievous historical blemishes the murder of Native American culture and slavery and suggests how America should confront these wrongs. Though repetitive and sometimes overly dramatic, this unique look at the spiritual meaning of America should resonate with scholars and lay readers alike, especially during this time of national crisis. For academic and larger public libraries. Jack Forman, San Diego Mesa Coll. Lib., CACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From BooklistThe origins of most Western nations are shrouded in the mists of time. Who knows when or why Roman Gaul evolved into France? But the U.S. can point not only to a specific founding date but also to a set of guiding principles that engendered that founding. Cynics can rightly point out the hypocrisy o