author
Richard M. Weaver
1910–1963
A literary scholar and cultural critic, he became one of the best-known conservative thinkers of the mid-20th century. His work blends rhetoric, history, and philosophy in a way that still sparks debate.
1 Audiobook
The ethics of rhetoric
by Richard M. Weaver
About the author
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1910, Richard M. Weaver was an American scholar who taught English at the University of Chicago. He is best known as an intellectual historian, political philosopher, and writer on rhetoric, and his books helped shape postwar conservative thought in the United States.
Weaver studied at the University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University before completing doctoral work at Louisiana State University. Over the course of his career, he wrote about language, culture, education, and the moral consequences of modern life. His best-known book, Ideas Have Consequences, remains the work most closely associated with his name.
Although he died in 1963, his influence has lasted through readers interested in rhetoric, Southern intellectual history, and modern conservatism. He is often remembered for insisting that ideas are never merely abstract—they help shape the character of a society.