The Truth Series #2 The Aristocrat

The Truth Series #2 – The Aristocrat

Alexis de Tocqueville was a 19th century French aristocrat, government minister, diplomat, and writer. He is known in the United States for his book Democracy in America, long a staple of political science classes. In this book, Tocqueville considers a wide array of topics within the subject of American society, based on his 1831 nine-month listening tour of the United States. Democracy in America details Tocqueville’s examination of democracy and changing social conditions. It also embodies Tocqueville’s well-documented need to search for the truth. Which is interesting, as Tocqueville believed that the search for absolute, demonstrable truth was akin to the search for perfect happiness, basically an effort after the impossible. He did not think great questions should be abandoned. Rather, he felt the works most likely to help those searching for truth are those books in which the author does not seek to dictate dogma or what is proper to think, but rather points the reader in the direction of truths to explore him or herself. Experts consider Democracy in America just such a book. It might not be a bad place to start a search for truths about the history of American society.