American Virtues and Cultural Values From the 1820’s to 1990’s- Virtuous Materialism

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Year:
Pages:296
ISBN:0-7734-7775-6
978-0-7734-7775-9
Price:$199.95 + shipping
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This volume follows the course of the concept of individualism in America. It traces how opposing factors of social interaction have swung through 170 years of American history, examines the disjunction between the past and the present, and how the present culture of nihilistic freedom has led to the denial of ethical principles that former generations took for granted.

Reviews

“This book is well written and easy to follow. It flows through the American historical, social positions and is well documented. It should provoke its readers to see and perhaps question some of their own assumptions.” – R. Dennis Porch, M. D.

“presents in a scholarly manner a very good overview of the considerable change that has occurred over the last 170 years in the area of the sociology of religion in America, along with an array of some of the key factors which have contributed to it. Further, the material provided in this text provides us with an excellent foundation to seriously contemplate our future as a society and , in particular, what actions we may wish to institute as educators at all levels within the academy. . . an important contribution to the ongoing debate on the direction of American cultural values and way of life.” – Dr. Pam Haldeman

Table of Contents

Table of contents:
Foreword; Preface; Introduction
1. Tocqueville’s America
2. Optimism Born of Affluence
3. From Individualism to Conformity
4. Technological Culture
5. From Individualism to Narcissism
6. Beyond Self-Fulfillment to Self-Commitment
7. Therapeutic Culture
Bibliography; Index

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