Randolph Silliman Bourne ( 1886 – 1918) Bourne is one of the great, unacknowledged intellects and writers of American cultural history. Born with severe physical disabilities, Bourne went on to join the generation of American progressives - - like John Dewey, Jane Addams, Charles Beard, and William James - - who struggled through the first decades of the 20th century to bring American consciousness up to speed with the demands of modernity. He was a radical pacifist who broke with many of his fellow progressives in denouncing the First World War. His essay, "War Is the Health of the State" remains a powerful argument against war and militarism. Bourne was especially interested in education, nationalism, and redefining cultural democracy. His life was cut short by the influenza epidemic (or Spanish Flu) of 1918.