How Long to Read America's Ambiguous Soul

How Long Does it Take to Read America's Ambiguous Soul?

It takes the average reader 5 hours and 28 minutes to read America's Ambiguous Soul by Jeremy Campbell

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

A nation that could drink "near beer" during Prohibition and fight a "quasi-war" with France is unlikely to be fastidious about absolutes. Alexis de Tocqueville, sharp-eyed visitor to Jacksonian America, thought ambiguity was a peculiarly American style, reflecting a certain restlessness and love of novelty, the fear of getting stuck in a rut he noticed on his travels. Americans preferred to leave language open, as one would leave a door or a window open, to make a quick exit when prudence dictated. Ambiguity is a device for finding options and exits. second thoughts and on the fly decisions. It is an enabler of democracy. It haunts the US Constitution. One historian calls the text's loose wording the saving "lubricant," that greased the joints of that eighteenth century masterpiece. Yet inexactitude can also be pernicious. It has been held responsible for the Civil War, the Great Depression and the hypertrophy of the powers of the modern American presidency. In today's contentious and polarized politics, its intensely pluralistic society, ambiguity is more in vogue than ever. It tends to dilute antagonisms and ideological fixity. This book discovers it in unexpected places, recruited for surprising reasons, part of American exceptionalism's exceptional genius for compromise. Often, it is not a pretty story. Notorious is Congress's habit of weasel-wording legislation to muffle its effect on sensitive sections of the electorate, then leaving the Supreme Court to disambiguate the language. Critics have also accused the Court of handing down "fat and flabby" opinions, motivated by an over-eager desire to find an elusive consensus among the justices. Morality is growing indistinct. Sins that used to be clear-cut, Biblically prohibited and universally deplored, are now unstable and hard to pin down. Racism, an offense that needs all the ambiguity it can get, and was skirted gingerly in the founding documents, has lost its definition. Overt, deliberate and highly injurious racism is rare, and severely punished. What survives is ambiguous racism, "implicit," the kind that can be read in more than one way by more than one person. It may exist below the threshold of consciousness. And along with subtle racism is subtle sexism, sometimes lurking beneath the "chivalrous" behavior of men, which reinforces gender stereotypes. The United States began double-minded about the prospects for a stable republic. The Authors of the new nation were under no illusions as to the defects of human nature, and its perpetual failure to come up to expectations. They harbored deep misgivings as to whether the ordinary citizen had the virtue, the intelligence and the character to preserve the precious liberties that were in their gift. So the wise Founders decided to adopt a somewhat paradoxical view of the situation. They were dubious about Americans, but optimistic about America. The fact that this was illogical, paradoxical, and did not bear close examination, nevertheless set the stage for an astonishing future for the country.

How long is America's Ambiguous Soul?

America's Ambiguous Soul by Jeremy Campbell is 318 pages long, and a total of 82,044 words.

This makes it 107% the length of the average book. It also has 100% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read America's Ambiguous Soul Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 7 hours and 28 minutes to read America's Ambiguous Soul aloud.

What Reading Level is America's Ambiguous Soul?

America's Ambiguous Soul is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy America's Ambiguous Soul?

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