The Science of Power

The Science of Power is a bold and impassioned final statement from sociologist Benjamin Kidd, written in the shadow of World War I. Rejecting the Enlightenment faith in reason, Kidd argues that Western civilization has collapsed under a "pagan retrogression" of materialism and militarism. He contends that knowledge and intellect have failed to guide humanity, and that true power arises not from reason, but from collective emotion-"the emotion of the ideal."

Calling for a radical rebirth of...