Brian Danoff
Biographic Data
| ID | 4007369 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brian Danoff |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brian |
| FAMILY NAME | Danoff |
| SIGNATURE | DANOFF B |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Sovereign of a Free People
Invisible Man and Democratic Leadership
This article examines Ralph Ellison’s understanding of democratic leadership and its relationship to freedom in Invisible Man. The theory of democratic leadership that emerges from the novel consists of three elements. First, because they recognize that ordinary people are capable of political action, democratic leaders seek to ensure that their fellow citizens can gain political freedom by becoming visible political actors with an equal voice. D…
I’m the Captain Now”
Melville’s “Benito Cereno” and the film Captain Phillips are both based on actual events in which black Africans unlawfully seized control of a ship led by whites; in both cases, (a kind of) order was eventually restored after Americans violently suppressed the Africans. Both the novella and the film take what at first glance might seem like a simple tale of American heroism and transform it into a story that is far more tragic and morally comple…
Lincoln and the “Necessity” of Tolerating Slavery before the Civil War
In an unsent 1860 letter, Abraham Lincoln mocked Sidney Fisher's claim that the “institution [of slavery] is a necessity imposed on us by the negro race.” And yet, Lincoln himself had often said that while slavery was an evil, the founders had to tolerate it where it existed owing to “necessity.” This raises the questions: What kinds of arguments about slavery and “necessity” did Lincoln find legitimate, and what kinds did he find to be illegitim…
A School or a Stage? Tocqueville and Arendt on Politics and Education
Arendt and Tocqueville both celebrate a participatory notion of political freedom, but they have a fundamental disagreement about the role that political education should play in fostering an active citizenry. I contrast Tocqueville's “educative” conception of politics with Arendt's “performative” conception, and I explore an important but little-noted difference between the two theorists: whereas Tocqueville argues that it is the task of statesm…
Educating Democracy
Asking of Freedom Something Other than Itself
I argue in this article that Robert Putnam's primary strategy for reviving civil society in Bowling Alone is an example of “the doctrine of self‐interest properly understood,” a doctrine that Alexis de Tocqueville found prevalent among “American moralists.” By considering him to be a modern version of the American moralist discussed by Tocqueville, new light can be shed on both the merits and the limitations of Putnam's achievement. In addition t…
Lincoln and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Self-interest Properly Understood
In this essay, Lincoln's ideas on democratic leadership are examined in the light of Tocqueville's political theory. In certain respects, Lincoln's words and deeds help to confirm the wisdom of Tocqueville's ideas on the role of leadership in a democracy. But in other respects, Lincoln's thought exposes the weaknesses and limitations of Tocqueville's understanding of democratic leadership. Both Tocqueville and Lincoln believed that the task of le…
Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism
(2000). Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism. Perspectives on Political Science: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 211-218
Lincoln, Machiavelli, and American Political Thought
The author argues that Machiavelli's political theory provides us with a framework that can be used to illuminate the words and deeds of Abraham Lincoln. He draws primarily on the competing interpretations of Machiavelli offered by J.G.A. Pocock, on one hand, and Harvey Mansfield on the other. According to the author, Pocock's and Mansfield's very different readings of Machiavelli can both be employed to shed light on Lincoln's multifaceted state…
Educating Democracy
Asking of Freedom Something Other than Itself
I argue in this article that Robert Putnam's primary strategy for reviving civil society in Bowling Alone is an example of “the doctrine of self‐interest properly understood,” a doctrine that Alexis de Tocqueville found prevalent among “American moralists.” By considering him to be a modern version of the American moralist discussed by Tocqueville, new light can be shed on both the merits and the limitations of Putnam's achievement. In addition t…
Lincoln and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Self-interest Properly Understood
In this essay, Lincoln's ideas on democratic leadership are examined in the light of Tocqueville's political theory. In certain respects, Lincoln's words and deeds help to confirm the wisdom of Tocqueville's ideas on the role of leadership in a democracy. But in other respects, Lincoln's thought exposes the weaknesses and limitations of Tocqueville's understanding of democratic leadership. Both Tocqueville and Lincoln believed that the task of le…
Invisible Man and Democratic Leadership
This article examines Ralph Ellison’s understanding of democratic leadership and its relationship to freedom in Invisible Man. The theory of democratic leadership that emerges from the novel consists of three elements. First, because they recognize that ordinary people are capable of political action, democratic leaders seek to ensure that their fellow citizens can gain political freedom by becoming visible political actors with an equal voice. D…
A School or a Stage? Tocqueville and Arendt on Politics and Education
Arendt and Tocqueville both celebrate a participatory notion of political freedom, but they have a fundamental disagreement about the role that political education should play in fostering an active citizenry. I contrast Tocqueville's “educative” conception of politics with Arendt's “performative” conception, and I explore an important but little-noted difference between the two theorists: whereas Tocqueville argues that it is the task of statesm…
Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism
(2000). Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism. Perspectives on Political Science: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 211-218
Lincoln, Machiavelli, and American Political Thought
The author argues that Machiavelli's political theory provides us with a framework that can be used to illuminate the words and deeds of Abraham Lincoln. He draws primarily on the competing interpretations of Machiavelli offered by J.G.A. Pocock, on one hand, and Harvey Mansfield on the other. According to the author, Pocock's and Mansfield's very different readings of Machiavelli can both be employed to shed light on Lincoln's multifaceted state…
Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism
(2000). Arendt, Kafka, and the Nature of Totalitarianism. Perspectives on Political Science: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 211-218
Lincoln, Machiavelli, and American Political Thought
The author argues that Machiavelli's political theory provides us with a framework that can be used to illuminate the words and deeds of Abraham Lincoln. He draws primarily on the competing interpretations of Machiavelli offered by J.G.A. Pocock, on one hand, and Harvey Mansfield on the other. According to the author, Pocock's and Mansfield's very different readings of Machiavelli can both be employed to shed light on Lincoln's multifaceted state…
Lincoln and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Self-interest Properly Understood
In this essay, Lincoln's ideas on democratic leadership are examined in the light of Tocqueville's political theory. In certain respects, Lincoln's words and deeds help to confirm the wisdom of Tocqueville's ideas on the role of leadership in a democracy. But in other respects, Lincoln's thought exposes the weaknesses and limitations of Tocqueville's understanding of democratic leadership. Both Tocqueville and Lincoln believed that the task of le…
Asking of Freedom Something Other than Itself
I argue in this article that Robert Putnam's primary strategy for reviving civil society in Bowling Alone is an example of “the doctrine of self‐interest properly understood,” a doctrine that Alexis de Tocqueville found prevalent among “American moralists.” By considering him to be a modern version of the American moralist discussed by Tocqueville, new light can be shed on both the merits and the limitations of Putnam's achievement. In addition t…
Educating Democracy
A School or a Stage? Tocqueville and Arendt on Politics and Education
Arendt and Tocqueville both celebrate a participatory notion of political freedom, but they have a fundamental disagreement about the role that political education should play in fostering an active citizenry. I contrast Tocqueville's “educative” conception of politics with Arendt's “performative” conception, and I explore an important but little-noted difference between the two theorists: whereas Tocqueville argues that it is the task of statesm…
Lincoln and the “Necessity” of Tolerating Slavery before the Civil War
In an unsent 1860 letter, Abraham Lincoln mocked Sidney Fisher's claim that the “institution [of slavery] is a necessity imposed on us by the negro race.” And yet, Lincoln himself had often said that while slavery was an evil, the founders had to tolerate it where it existed owing to “necessity.” This raises the questions: What kinds of arguments about slavery and “necessity” did Lincoln find legitimate, and what kinds did he find to be illegitim…
I’m the Captain Now”
Melville’s “Benito Cereno” and the film Captain Phillips are both based on actual events in which black Africans unlawfully seized control of a ship led by whites; in both cases, (a kind of) order was eventually restored after Americans violently suppressed the Africans. Both the novella and the film take what at first glance might seem like a simple tale of American heroism and transform it into a story that is far more tragic and morally comple…
Invisible Man and Democratic Leadership
This article examines Ralph Ellison’s understanding of democratic leadership and its relationship to freedom in Invisible Man. The theory of democratic leadership that emerges from the novel consists of three elements. First, because they recognize that ordinary people are capable of political action, democratic leaders seek to ensure that their fellow citizens can gain political freedom by becoming visible political actors with an equal voice. D…
Sovereign of a Free People
Law (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · American Constitutional Law and Politics (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Political Theory and Influence (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Epistemology (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Sociology (5 works)