ABSTRACT
The instant obituaries of David Riesman in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal each appeared to be more book reviews than life summaries. David Riesman's liberalism stemmed from a commitment to a faith in the law of the land being upheld. Liberalism is far more than a set of principles, and certainly more than an institutional convention. The liberalism was clearly evident in his strong support for black American rights to equal treatment, his close scrutiny of young women's participation in the educational process, and in general, his faith in education as a leveling device among social classes in all phases of learning and teaching. Riesman never made the fatal mistake of thinking that social science is simply political ideology writ in obscure language. Rather, he saw in its findings, in every sample of disparities arrived at in qualitative or quantitative terms, information that makes possible amelioration of ailments through policymaking based on those liberal premises.
