1n«n(. ••.n1nReason and the Ethical Imaginationn”A perfect democraey is . . .nshameful thing in the world.nWill, Imagination and Reason:nIrving Babbitt and the Problem ofnReality by Claes G. Ryn, Chicago:nRegnery Books; $15.00.nMore than 50 years after hisndeath, hving Babbitt continuesnto evoke a sympathetic response hornnminds and temperaments attuned tonthe ethical world view fostered by classicalnand Christian thought. Withinnthe last decade, much of his writingn%•• “*• “^’ ,*n•^’•->’-‘.; ;• • / ‘n44 / CHRONICLESn” An/;n; ^••’ • v.-‘ •:;•- / /nhas been reprinted, and a cluster ofncritical studies has appeared. His sensenof transcendent moral purpose, hisndualistic vision of human nature, hisnconcepts of inner check and the law ofnmeasure, his distrust of rationalisticnabsolutes, his recognition of the vitalnrole of will and imagination — allnthese are perennially appealing tonthose who are uncomfortable with thennaive worship of materialistic rationalismnand with the moral relativismnStephen Tanner is professor of Englishnat Brigham Young University.ntherefore the mostn—Edmund Burkencharacteristic of our age. For the sympatheticnreader of our decade, Babbitt’snwriting often elicits an assenting nod;nconsequences that for Babbitt werenpredictions are for us facts, and thencultural criticism his contemporaryndetractors found outdated and irrelevantnoften seems more timely andnpenetrating now than when it wasnwritten.nBut no philosopher or critic has allnthe right answers. Indeed those wenvalue highly often have very notice-nable blind spots and limitations, andntheir strengths are inextricably dependentnon their weaknesses: They couldnnot have achieved in one area withoutnslighting another. This is particularlyntrue for a generalist like Babbitt, whonaddresses large issues that spread acrossndisciplinary boundaries. In his literaryncriticism, for example, he could notnhave been so insightful concerning thenhistory of ideas and the nature of thenethical imagination if he had devotednhimself more extensively to matters ofnform and aesthetics.nMoreover, cultural and intellectualnnnby Stephen L. Tannernclimates change continuously, andneven the soundest ideas need adjustmentnand amplification to retain vitalitynin the living present. Babbitt’s influencenhas been considerable, even ifnnot always acknowledged, and it seemsnreasonable to expect this influence tongrow as his ideas are reexamined, supplemented,nand newly applied. This,nin any case, is Claes G. Ryn’s expectation.nRyn is a brilliant and philosophicallynsystematic new conservative voice.nBorn in Sweden, he was introduced tonthe writings of Babbitt and Paul ElmernMore by his friend and teacher, thenphilosopher Folke Leander (1910-n1981). Russell Kirk’s books were alsonpart of his extracurricular readingnwhile he was a student at the Universitynof Uppsala. Several years later. Kirknadvised him about coming to the UnitednStates. Ryn realized, partly fromnthe experience of Folke Leander, thatnhis rejection of positivism and moralnrelativism, which held sway in Swedishnacademic circles, would obstruct anscholarly career in his own country.nHe completed his graduate study innthe United States and is professor andnformer chairman in the department ofnpolitics at the Catholic University ofnAmerica. He is the author of Nykon-n