Ernest Gellner
Czech-British philosopher and social anthropologist whose Nations and Nationalism provided the most concise and powerful theory of nationalism as a product of industrial modernity. Plough, Sword and Book offered a comprehensive theory of human history. He was one of the most intellectually productive social scientists of his generation.
Works
- Nations and NationalismExplanation of how nationalism emerges from industrialization and cultural homogenization
- Plough, Sword and BookAnalysis of civilization's evolution through agricultural, military, and technological stages
- Words and ThingsPhilosophical critique of linguistic philosophy and ordinary language analysis
- The Psychoanalytic MovementCritical analysis of Freud's theories and the appeal of psychoanalytic thought
- Conditions of LibertyArgument that civil society and rule of law require surveillance, division, and trust