tions that give rise to political movements,nthey deny the possibility of thendiscussion of ideas necessary for politicalnphilosophy. The general directionsnof “progress” and “reaction” are givens,ndefined for them by “history.” Theirnbooks serve as reportage of movementnalong the continuum. When they transcendnthe torpor of this reportage, theynact as agents of the Zeitgeist among us.nPolitical philosophy, in contrast, isnthe serious and critical consideration ofnthe nature of the good life. The disciplinenis involved in the discussion ofnideas by people who concede the capacitynof human beings for rational thought.nPolitics is the consideration of whosenvision of the good life shall prevail overnthe activities of the community. As anPathological ChicnAlexandra Marshall: Tender Offer;nAlfred A. Knopf; New York.nJohn Givens: Living Alone; AtheneumnPublishers; New York.nby Betsy ClarkenxVfter her divorce and with two smallnchildren, Phoebe Newcomb turnedn$1.16, her fudge recipe and her ownnhard work into Phoebe’s Fudge, Inc.,na multimillion-dollar publicly ownedncorporation. The Tender Offer heroinenachieved her success without the EqualnRights Amendment, without federallynfunded day care and without any reportednintervention by the AmericannCivil Liberties Union.nFurthermore, thanks to her benevolentncapitalist spirit, she has staved offnunions in her two factories by providingnher employees with Olympic-sized swimmingnpools, representation on her boardnof directors and Stevie Wonder tapesnduring working hours. In hiring, this ty-nMiss Clarke is a free-lance writer innLincoln, Illinois.n2()inChronicles of Culturenconsequence of its denial of the possibilitynof political philosophy, the historicismnof these volumes also denies thenpossibility that politics might be guidednby reason. The dronings of MargaretnCanovan demonstrate, for those whonretained a bit of doubt, that populismnis a political aberration that lacks renspectable intellectual moorings and hasnno serious vision of a decent politicalnorder. From the newspapers of the lastnfive years, one would conclude that thensocial and political forces that producednEllen Willis have been superseded bynother forces that are now operating innpolitical life. One trusts that the newnpolitics will include an antidote for thenunreasoned vision that has been hernguiding light. Dncoon’s tastes run to women and SpanishsurnamednAmericans, all without governmentnpressure.nQuestion: has Phoebe Newcomb beennreading Wealth and Poverty? Evidentlynnot. As American logic would have it,nPhoebe’s politics lean to limousine liberal.nAuthor Alexandra Marshall writes,n”Phoebe couldn’t vote . . . Republican.”nToo bad. The Connecticut residentnmight have found a soul mate in hernRepublicanSenator Lowell Weicker. Butnprinciples are principles, after all.nPhoebe now wears designer clothes,ntravels first class, plans trips aroundnthe world and is soon to marry one ofnAmerica’s leading designers of women’snnnclothing. She has two healthy, independentnchildren. Now giant SyntheticnTechnologies Corporation (Syncorp) isnoffering Phoebe’s Fudge shareholdersna substantial profit in the sale of theirnsecurities in order to effect a merger.nSyncorp’s maneuver threatens to bringnPhoebe even more wealth than she hasnalready acquired. Will nothing go rightnin her life.’nFor Phoebe is unhappy about then”raid.” The issue, as it always is withnthese people, is “freedom of choice,”nthough Phoebe remains oblivious tonthe fact that choice is precisely what antender offer provides. Phoebe coinsnthe slogan “Yes to saying no” and beginsnwaging a media war (successful,nnaturally) against Syncorp with it, deliriousnwith pride at her cleverness. Nonexplanation is given as to why that slogannshould have preference over, fornexample, “no to saying yes.” Or hownabout just plain “no”.”nHere’s the real worry: Phoebe’snFudge consists entirely of natural ingredientsnand Syncorp is rumored tonmanufacture products used in space exploration.nWhy such merchandise necessarilynrelegates Syncorp to the ranksnof Attila the Hun is unclear, since it isndemonstrably difficult to travel tonPhoebe’s favorite vacation spot, Antigua,nin a hot-fudge sundae. However,nPhoebe is planning an advertising campaignnfor her new Weebie, “the Hershey’snKiss of fudge,” and the likes ofnGloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin and RobertnRedford will be endorsing it. BenjaminnSpock will be featured in the adsnwearing a “No Nukes” button, evi-n