ABSTRACT
The American founders erected a cathedral of philosophic thought about politics on a foundation of science that appears increasingly problematic. Progressivism, like all political philosophies, has its discontents that are in large measure a product of its foundations. Reading John Chamberlain in the twenty-first century would seem, on the face of it, an exercise in nostalgic futility; the great triumphs of progressive politics still lay in the future to a degree Chamberlain did not fully reckon. What Chamberlain underestimated was how the progressive foundation in nineteenth century science could produce a labyrinth of superficially diverse political arguments that nevertheless remained connected to the roots of progressivism. There are a number of potential windows into the New Deal that explore progressive theory and practice, but one of the most interesting is that of Thurman Arnold. Psychology as a reductionist argument is more problematic than economics, for example, which is the more common progressive argument.
