Edward C. Banfield (1916-1999), author of The Moral Basis of a Backward Society and The Unheavenly City, among other volumes, was a profound student of American (especially urban) politics and a discerning critic of liberal optimism and self-congratulation. He taught mainly at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. This is a slightly edited version of the commencement speech he gave at Claremont McKenna College on June 6, 1971.
For the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy
Edward C. Banfield
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