Thomas Jefferson

""Holowchak offers an exceptionally insightful account of the central philosophical aspects of Jefferson's famously complicated intellectual outlook—and with style and clarity that make them readily comprehensible for both scholars and laymen. This is a genuinely interesting contribution to Jefferson scholarship, particularly concerning the often-neglected Stoic and Aristotelian influences on his thinking.” —Ari Helo, PhD, Senior University Lecturer in the History of Science and Ideas Program at the University of Oulu, Finland; author of Thomas Jefferson's Ethics and the Politics of Human Progress“[This book] suggests that many of the political ideals we properly associate with Jefferson—liberty, equality, meritocracy, republicanism—have been mistaken for ends rather than means inseparable from his moral telos: human happiness. M. Andrew Holowchak argues that Jefferson's political and educational philosophy was a concomitant of his normative ethic, and that his ideal republic, designed to maximize public happiness, was something of a scientific experiment whose efficacy in the progressive realization of human flourishing would be empirically verifiable over time through observation of outcomes. The book effectively unites Jefferson's moral and ethical thought with his political and educational thought and offers us a coherent thinker who is as much a philosopher as a statesman. It is a significant and welcome contribution to the literature.” —Brian Steele, associate professor of history, University of Alabama–BirminghamPraise for Framing a Legend: “Dr. Holowchak meticulously destroys the lack of scholarship, the pre-determined agenda and the malicious fabrications of these three authors…. The work is scholarly, professional and very refreshing opposed to the lurid assumptions of the detractors. Anyone who enjoys truth over titillation will enjoy this book.”—San Francisco Book Review “A powerful survey recommended for any study of Presidential history in general and Jefferson's life in particular.”—California Bookwatch