2.929: Ph.D.s; revolution (65)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Thu, 4 May 89 19:52:36 EDT


Humanist Mailing List, Vol. 2, No. 929. Thursday, 4 May 1989.


(1) Date: Thu, 4 May 89 09:51:34 EDT (20 lines)
Subject: Re: 2.928: grad schools, cont. (39)
From: <DJMABRY@MSSTATE>

(2) Date: Mon, 1 May 89 17:22 EST (27 lines)
From: TODD PERRY <PERRY_R@WABASH>
Subject: Revolution

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 May 89 09:51:34 EDT
Subject: Re: 2.928: grad schools, cont. (39)

In re Ph.D. degrees, the US Ph.D. degree came from Germany. Hopkins was
a pioneer. Woodrow Wilson, the historian and US President, obtained one
of the earliest Ph.D.'s.

----------------------------------------------------------------
!Donald J. Mabry !DJMABRY@MSSTATE !
!Professor ! !
!History Department !P.O. Box 1096 !
!Mississippi State University !Mississippi State, MS 39762 !
!Mississippi State, MS 39762 !Tel: (601) 325-7084 !
! ! !
! Senior Fellow, CISS ! !
!Miss State Univ. !Home Phone: (601) 323-6852 !
!Research Interests: Latin American narcotics diplomacy; !
!20th Century Mexico; origins of rock'n'roll !
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------29----
Date: Mon, 1 May 89 17:22 EST
From: TODD PERRY <PERRY_R@WABASH>
Subject: Revolution

Dear Sirs and Madams:
In regards to the question of revolution.......
Does death ever advance mankind? In the obvious context of the question,
though, leaving the sardonic comments behind, I would have to say the American
Revolution was of greater intellectual value to the world. The American
Revolution was the first "great experiment in society". It was the first
indication that Locke, Rousseau (particuarly), and (to a lesser extent)
Hobbes actually could be thought about in concrete terms. It also gave a voice
to the rational anarchism of Thomas Jefferson, and the federalism of people
like Madison. I would go so far as to wonder if there would have been a French
Revolution without a American one. Firstly, the French economy would not have
been pushed as far without its involvement in the American Revolution, and
secondly, the radical thinkers that "fathered" the intellectual ideas of the
French revolution were highly cheered by the success of the American
revolution.

Feel free to comment, in any way. I wear asbestos underclothing,
and am not afraid of "flames". :)

Yours,

R. Todd Perry
perry_R@wabash