Peter Baehr is Research Professor in Social Theory at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He is the author or editor of several books, among them Caesar and the Fading of the Roman World; Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and the Social Sciences; and Founders, Classics, Canons: Modern Disputes over the Origins and Appraisal of Sociology's Heritage.

"Adroit, subtle, and fearless, this exceptionally well-written study will delight and infuriate. Readers will re-examine, or obstinately refuse to re-examine, their own ways of arguing. Those who grasp its central theses will, perhaps regretfully, never see the structure of debates about society in the same way. Concerned above all with sociology, it also makes an important contribution to the history of ideas and the understanding of novels." - Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University, USA"Peter Baehr’s iconoclastic book will be invigorating reading for anyone interested in social theory and the self-serving lies of the powerful. Baehr’s encyclopedic knowledge of the history of social theory sets the stage for a lively debate about the style, substance, and value of unmasking by social thinkers. Let the shouting begin!" - Daniel Little, University of Michigan, USA"This elegantly written book will delight and enlighten. Its topic - the unmasking style in Western thought - turns out to be extremely interesting as well as relevant in the modern world. The book is recommended to the general public, academics and anyone interested in an intellectually exciting and alive work." - Richard Swedberg, Cornell University, USA

• Introduction Part 1: Elements and Origins of the Unmasking Style 1. Elements of Unmasking 2. Unveiling Religion, Unmasking Society 3. The Marxian Template 4. Illusion More Closely Considered Part 2: O, Sociology 5. Unmasking in Sociology: For, Against, For and Against, Maybe 6. Humanism and Pragmatism: Unmasking, Debunking, and Unveiling in the Sociology of Peter Berger and Luc Boltanski Part 3: Avoiding Unmasking in an Unmasking Age 7. Avoiding Unmasking Appendix – Disclosing, Enclosing, Surveilling References Index

Peter Baehr is Research Professor in Social Theory at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He is the author or editor of several books, among them Caesar and the Fading of the Roman World; Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and the Social Sciences; and Founders, Classics, Canons: Modern Disputes over the Origins and Appraisal of Sociology's Heritage.

"Adroit, subtle, and fearless, this exceptionally well-written study will delight and infuriate. Readers will re-examine, or obstinately refuse to re-examine, their own ways of arguing. Those who grasp its central theses will, perhaps regretfully, never see the structure of debates about society in the same way. Concerned above all with sociology, it also makes an important contribution to the history of ideas and the understanding of novels." - Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University, USA"Peter Baehr’s iconoclastic book will be invigorating reading for anyone interested in social theory and the self-serving lies of the powerful. Baehr’s encyclopedic knowledge of the history of social theory sets the stage for a lively debate about the style, substance, and value of unmasking by social thinkers. Let the shouting begin!" - Daniel Little, University of Michigan, USA"This elegantly written book will delight and enlighten. Its topic - the unmasking style in Western thought - turns out to be extremely interesting as well as relevant in the modern world. The book is recommended to the general public, academics and anyone interested in an intellectually exciting and alive work." - Richard Swedberg, Cornell University, USA

• Introduction Part 1: Elements and Origins of the Unmasking Style 1. Elements of Unmasking 2. Unveiling Religion, Unmasking Society 3. The Marxian Template 4. Illusion More Closely Considered Part 2: O, Sociology 5. Unmasking in Sociology: For, Against, For and Against, Maybe 6. Humanism and Pragmatism: Unmasking, Debunking, and Unveiling in the Sociology of Peter Berger and Luc Boltanski Part 3: Avoiding Unmasking in an Unmasking Age 7. Avoiding Unmasking Appendix – Disclosing, Enclosing, Surveilling References Index

Peter Baehr is Research Professor in Social Theory at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He is the author or editor of several books, among them Caesar and the Fading of the Roman World; Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and the Social Sciences; and Founders, Classics, Canons: Modern Disputes over the Origins and Appraisal of Sociology's Heritage.

"Adroit, subtle, and fearless, this exceptionally well-written study will delight and infuriate. Readers will re-examine, or obstinately refuse to re-examine, their own ways of arguing. Those who grasp its central theses will, perhaps regretfully, never see the structure of debates about society in the same way. Concerned above all with sociology, it also makes an important contribution to the history of ideas and the understanding of novels." - Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University, USA"Peter Baehr’s iconoclastic book will be invigorating reading for anyone interested in social theory and the self-serving lies of the powerful. Baehr’s encyclopedic knowledge of the history of social theory sets the stage for a lively debate about the style, substance, and value of unmasking by social thinkers. Let the shouting begin!" - Daniel Little, University of Michigan, USA"This elegantly written book will delight and enlighten. Its topic - the unmasking style in Western thought - turns out to be extremely interesting as well as relevant in the modern world. The book is recommended to the general public, academics and anyone interested in an intellectually exciting and alive work." - Richard Swedberg, Cornell University, USA

• Introduction Part 1: Elements and Origins of the Unmasking Style 1. Elements of Unmasking 2. Unveiling Religion, Unmasking Society 3. The Marxian Template 4. Illusion More Closely Considered Part 2: O, Sociology 5. Unmasking in Sociology: For, Against, For and Against, Maybe 6. Humanism and Pragmatism: Unmasking, Debunking, and Unveiling in the Sociology of Peter Berger and Luc Boltanski Part 3: Avoiding Unmasking in an Unmasking Age 7. Avoiding Unmasking Appendix – Disclosing, Enclosing, Surveilling References Index