My first book of the school year was "A Conflict of Visions" by economist Thomas Sowell, probably most famous for his (IMO accurate) statement "There are no solutions; only tradeoffs." Certainly not for everyone, but if you're a politics / econ nerd like me, you may find it worth a look.
Sowell's approach here is not to convince the reader of a particular party's worth, but to highlight the fundamental incompatibilities of first principles that animate the disagreements emerging downstream.
He accomplishes this by dividing all political thought into two fundamental visions, which he calls the "constrained" and "unconstrained" vision. Citing from a wide range of thinkers, politicians, economists, and authors, he marshals his argument well, and illuminates the divisions that go much deeper than mere political parties ever could. Though few would land all the way to one side or the other of the continuum he describes, I found his framing useful in shaping my own thinking on the subject.
The book is clearly staking out a specific position, yet never becomes preachy, and Sowell is unflinching yet civil about the fact that many of the divisions we face stem from the simple reality that, at root, there are (at least) two competing ways to view the world and human nature at the most fundamental level.
“Visions are the foundations on which theories are built. The final structure depends not only on the foundation, but also on how carefully and consistently the framework of theory is constructed and how well buttressed it is with hard facts.”
Copy available in Garzon if you're interested.
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