The Death of Common Sense - by Philip K Howard (Paperback)

About the Book

Distressing, disturbing, devastatingly detailed--this examination of how modern laws are diminishing America exposes the drawbacks of rule-bound government, tells why nothing gets done, reveals the phony pretensions of law, and shows why well-intentioned laws have actually devalued rights. In short, this book demonstrates how the buck never stops and how well-meaning laws are creating a nation of enemies.--From publisher description.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"We need a new idea of how to govern. The current system is broken. Law is supposed to be a framework for humans to make choices, not the replacement for free choice." So notes Philip K. Howard in the new Afterword to his explosive manifesto The Death of Common Sense. Here Howard offers nothing less than a fresh, lucid, practical operating system for modern democracy. America is drowning--in law, lawsuits, and nearly endless red tape. Before acting or making a decision, we often abandon our best instincts. We pause, we worry, we equivocate, and then we divert our energy into trying to protect ourselves. Filled with one too many examples of bureaucratic overreach, The Death of Common Sense demonstrates how we--and our country--can at last get back on track.

Review Quotes

"Incendiary . . . stimulating and controversial."--San Francisco Examiner

"[Philip K.] Howard's argument is fresh, reflecting an impressive combination of wisdom, wry humor, and quiet passion. . . . When we think about 'reinventing government, ' it's a good place to start."--The New York Times Book Review

"A valuable book . . . a call for personal responsibility and initiative in government."--People

"The delights of this policy prose poem lie in its perfect details, its civilized tone, its sure sense of where the ill-made legal shoe pinches."--The Wall Street Journal

"A brilliant diagnosis . . . forceful, trenchant, and eloquent."--Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

"Excellent."--The Washington Post

About the Author

Philip K. Howard is a lawyer and the author of The Death of Common Sense. He has advised leaders of both parties on legal and regulatory reform. Howard grew up in small towns in the South and is the son of a Presbyterian minister. He is a managing partner of an international law firm and lives in Manhattan with his wife. They have four children.