Paul Gottfried

Paul Edward Gottfried (born 1941) is an American political philosopher, historian, and author, known for his work on conservative and libertarian thought, as well as critiques of liberalism. Gottfried has contributed extensively to discussions on political ideology, particularly examining the evolution of American conservatism, the concept of "paleoconservatism," and the New Left. He is also known as an influential critic of neoconservatism. He stressed that he does "not want to be in the same camp with white nationalists."

Biography

Paul Gottfried was born in 1941 to a Jewish family and raised in New York. He attended Yeshiva University, where he earned his bachelor's degree, and later Yale University, where he completed both his master's and Ph.D. in history. His academic career included teaching positions at various institutions, notably at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, where he became a professor emeritus.

Works

Gottfried has written extensively on subjects related to conservatism, political theory, and cultural history. His books, which address topics such as the development of conservatism, multiculturalism, and the American right, include:

• Conservatism in America: Making Sense of the American Right (2007) – Analyzes the evolution of American conservatism and its ideological shifts.
• Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt (2002) – Examines multiculturalism and its impact on Western society and liberalism.
• The Strange Death of Marxism (2005) – Investigates the collapse of Marxism in the West and the subsequent rise of multicultural leftist ideologies.

Influence and Legacy

Gottfried is widely regarded as a leading intellectual in paleoconservatism, a term he helped popularize. He has been critical of the direction taken by neoconservative thinkers, arguing that their approach diverges from traditional conservative values. Gottfried has also contributed to publications such as *Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture* and *The American Conservative*, where he has articulated views on populism, identity politics, and the effects of cultural liberalism.

Bibliography

• Gottfried, Paul. Paleoconservative Anthology. Lexington Books, 2023.
• Gottfried, Paul. Antifascism: Course of a Crusade. Cornell-NIU Press, 2021.
• Gottfried, Paul. The Vanishing Tradition. Cornell-NIU Press, 2020.
• Gottfried, Paul. Revisions and Dissents. Northern Illinois University Press, 2017.
• Gottfried, Paul. The Search for Historical Meaning. University of Illinois, 2016.
• Gottfried, Paul. Fascism: The Career of a Concept. Northern Illinois University Press, 2015.
• Gottfried, Paul. War and Democracy. Arktos, 2012.
• Gottfried, Paul. Leo Strauss and the American Conservative Movement. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Gottfried, Paul. Encounters: My Life with Nixon, Marcuse, and Other Friends and Teachers. Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2009.
• Gottfried, Paul. Conservatism in America: Making Sense of the American Right. Palgrave-Macmillan, July 2007.
• Gottfried, Paul. The Strange Death of Marxism: The European Left in the New Millennium. University of Missouri Press, 2005.
• Gottfried, Paul. Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt: Towards A Secular Theocracy. University of Missouri Press, 2002.
• Gottfried, Paul. After Liberalism: Mass Democracy in the Managerial State. Princeton University Press, 1999.
• Gottfried, Paul. Conservative Millenarians. Fordham University Press, 1979.