The Devil’s Pleasure Palace cover art

The Devil’s Pleasure Palace

The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West

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The Devil’s Pleasure Palace

By: Michael Walsh
Narrated by: Michael Walsh
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About this listen

In the aftermath of World War II, America stood alone as the world's premier military power. Yet its martial confidence contrasted vividly with its sense of cultural inferiority. Still looking to a defeated and dispirited Europe for intellectual and artistic guidance, burgeoning transnational elite in New York and Washington embraced not only the war's refugees but many of their ideas as well, and nothing has proven more pernicious than those of the Frankfurt School and its reactionary philosophy of "critical theory". At once overly intellectualized and emotionally juvenile, critical theory - like Pandora's box - released a horde of demons into the American psyche. When everything could be questioned, nothing could be real, and the muscular, confident empiricism that had just won the war gave way, in less than a generation, to a Central European nihilism celebrated on college campuses across the United States. In The Devil's Pleasure Palace, Michael Walsh looks at how critical theory took root in America and came to affect nearly every aspect of American life and society - and what can be done to stop it.

©2015 Michael Walsh (P)2015 Tantor
Americas Education History Movements Philosophy Social Sciences United States Socialism Liberalism War Military Middle East Social justice Iran Critical Theory

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All stars
Most relevant
This book seemed like a good idea until I began to listen to it and the author wouldn't shut up about God and Satan. Not quite the cogently argued take-down of critical theory I was expecting. Will be returning it shortly.

God and Satan etc

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