Sidney Hook (December 20, 1902–July 12, 1989) was a prominent New York intellectual and philosopher who championed pragmatism. December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Biography

Born in Brooklyn to Jennie and Issac Hook, Austrian-Jewish immigrants, Hook was a Socialist Party supporter during the Debs era when he was in high school. He earned his Bachelor's degree at the City College of New York in 1923, then his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1927, where he was a student of the pragmatist philosopher John Dewey. Upon finishing his studies, Hook was hired by New York University, which employed him until his retirement in 1972. From 1948 to 1969 he was head of the department of philosophy. A map of New York City, highlighting Brooklyn. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... The Socialist Party USA (SPUSA) is one of the heirs to the Socialist Party of America of Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. ... Eugene Victor Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American labor and political leader, one of the founders of the international labor union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and five-time Socialist Party of America candidate for President of the United States. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The City College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as City College of New York or simply City College, CCNY, or colloquially as City) is a senior college of the City University of New York, in New York City. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ... John Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, whose thought has been greatly influential in the United States and around the world. ... New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

At the beginning of his career, Hook achieved prominence as an expert on Karl Marx's philosophy and was himself a Marxist. He visited Moscow in 1929 and wrote enthusiastically about the Soviet Union. In 1932 he supported the Communist Party's William Z. Foster when he ran for President of the United States. However, Hook broke completely with the international Communist movement in 1933, holding its policies responsible for the triumph of Nazism in Germany. He accused Stalin of putting "the needs of the Russian state" over the needs of the international revolution.[1] Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was an immensely influential German philosopher, political economist, and socialist revolutionary. ... Marxism is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. ... Government Russia District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuri Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is one of several Marxist-Leninist groups in the United States. ... William Edward Foster (February 25, 1881 - September 1, 1961), who renamed himself as William Z. Foster, was the long-time General Secretary of the Communist Party USA and trade union leader. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ...

Hook remained, however, active on the left during the Great Depression. He was a leading member of the American Workers Party headed by A. J. Muste. In the late 1930s, Hook assisted Leon Trotsky's efforts to clear his name in a special Commission of Inquiry headed by Dewey, which investigated Stalinist charges made against Trotsky during the Moscow Trials. The Great Depression was known as a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ... A number of parties have gone by differing versions of the name Workers Party. The American Workers Party is most well known for its leadership in the 1934 Toledo Auto-lite Strike. ... Abraham Johannes Muste (January 8, 1885 – February 11, 1967) was a socialist active in the pacifist movement, labor movement and the US civil rights movement. ... (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Leo, Lev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij, Trockij and Trotzky) (November 7 [O.S. October 26] 1879 – August 21, 1940), born Lev Davidovich Bronstein (Лев Давидович Бронштейн), was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist. ... The Moscow Trials were a series of trials of political opponents of Joseph Stalin during the Great Purge. ...

The Great Purge prompted in Hook an increasing ambivalence toward Marxism. In 1939, Hook formed the Committee for Cultural Freedom, a shortlived organization that set the stage for his postwar politics by opposing "totalitarianism" on the left and right. By the time of the Cold War Hook was a prominent anti-Communist, although he continued to consider himself a democratic socialist throughout his life. The Great Purge (Russian: ) is the name given to campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Totalitarianism is a typology employed by political scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ... The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their military alliance partners. ... Anti-communism is an ideology of opposition to communist organization, government and ideology. ... Democratic socialism is a broad political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the context of a democratic system. ...

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hook helped found Americans for Intellectual Freedom, the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF), and the American Committee for Cultural Freedom. These bodies—the CCF was most central—were funded by the CIA through a variety of fronts, and sought to dissuade American liberals or leftists from continuing to advocate cooperation with the Soviet Union.[2] The International Association for Cultural Freedom (previously known as the Congress for Cultural Freedom) was an anti-communist political group best known for being revealed in 1967 as a covert operation of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. ... The American Committee for Cultural Freedom (ACCF) was the U.S. affiliate of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, an organization that, during the Cold War, sought to encourage intellectuals to be critical of the Soviet Union and Communism. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

In the 1960s, Hook was a frequent critic of the New Left. He ended his career in the 1970s and 1980s as a fellow of the conservative Hoover Institution in Stanford, California. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The New Left is a term used in political discourse to refer to radical left-wing movements from the 1960s onwards. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Hoover Tower The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace is a conservative/libertarian public policy think tank and library founded by Herbert Hoover at Stanford University, his alma mater. ... Stanford may refer: Stanford University Places: Stanford, Kentucky Stanford, California, home of Stanford University Stanford Shopping Center Stanford, New York, town in Dutchess County. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ...

On May 23, 1985 Hook was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, considered the equivalent of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ...

Books by Hook

• The Metaphysics of Pragmatism (1927)
• Towards the Understanding of Karl Marx: A Revolutionary Interpretation (1933)
• The Meaning of Marx (edited collection, 1934)
• From Hegel to Marx (1936)
• John Dewey: An Intellectual Portrait (1939)
• Reason, Social Myths, and Democracy (1940)
• The Hero in History (1943)
• Heresy, Yes; Conspiracy, No (1953)
• Political Power and Personal Freedom (1954)
• Marx and the Marxists: The Ambiguous Legacy (1955)
• Common Sense and the Fifth Amendment (1957)
• The Place of Religion in a Free Society (1968)
• Academic Freedom and Academic Anarchy (1970)
• Pragmatism and the Tragic Sense of Life (1974)
• Marxism and Beyond (1983)
• Out of Step (1987)

Articles by Hook Available Online

• "Karl Marx and Moses Hess," 1934
• "Marx's Criticism of 'True Socialism,'" 1935
• "Marx and Feuerbach," 1936
• "Heresy, Yes—But Conspiracy, No," New York Times, 1950

Books on Hook

• Sidney Hook: A Checklist of Writings, ed. Barbara Levine, Southern Illinois University, 1989.
• Sidney Hook: Philosopher of Democracy and Humanism, ed. Paul Kurtz, Prometheus, 1983.
• Sidney Hook Reconsidered, ed. Matthew J. Cotter, Prometheus, 2004.
• Young Sidney Hook: Marxist and Pragmatist, by Christopher Phelps, Cornell University, 1997 (2d ed., University of Michigan, 2005).

Paul Kurtz (born February 12, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey) is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), but is best known for prominent role in the American skeptical community. ...

External links

• Book review of new edition of Towards the Understanding of Karl Marx (1933)
• Paul Mattick pamphlet in opposition to Hook (1936)
• Meyer Shapiro's polemic against Hook, published in Fourth International under the pseudonym "Morrison" (1943)
• Julius Jacobson on Hook and Cold War liberalism
• CIA study of Hook's role in Congress for Cultural Freedom
• Chronicle of Higher Education article on legacy of Sidney Hook
• New Yorker reflection on controversy over Hook's centennial
• "Left Hook, Right Hook: The Rules of Engagement," by Christopher Phelps
• "Fearless Sidney Hook," by Thomas Main
• "Sidney Hook Reconsidered," by Robert Talisse