If the method employed in setting up the topic appears labored at times-- the description of the individual humanistic disciplines in Chapter Ills almost necessarily less brilliant than the claim about their shared discourse at the end of Chapter I--the professions of faith that punctuate this book and breathe life into its pages are, remarkably, devoid of dogmatism and fired by conviction and intellectual maturity.

Yet of the talk-show hosts and even the "respected" newscasters and journalists who frame our national political debate, none (to anyone's knowledge) hold advanced degrees in political science, history, economics, or any relevant humanistic discipline.