The Irony of American History
Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality
Written early in the Cold War, theologian Reinhold Niebuhr's The Irony of American History (1952) warns that a powerful nation sure of its own virtue risks self-deception and overreach. Niebuhr argues that American innocence and strength create unintended moral traps when the country acts on the world stage. He urges humility and what he called Christian realism: resist evil without claiming mastery over history.
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- Fareed Zakaria: “[1:05:43] The second is a book by Reinhold Niebuhr called The Irony of American History. And it's really all about the great danger when you are powerful of believing you are virtuous and believing that might is right and the call for humility.”