For common things
Subtitle: irony, trust, and commitment in America today
By: Jedediah Purdy
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: A.A. Knopf
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 226
ISBN-13: 9780375407086
Subjects: Politics and government; Vertrauen; Social action; Engagement; Social participation; Sociale verantwoordelijkheid; Social conditions; Politik; Ironie
Description: "Jedediah Purdy persuasively argues the necessity and satisfactions of social and political reengagement and of renewed attention to the "common things" we all have a stake in: the environment, education, culture, law, and government. Drawing on a wide range of sources - from Thoreau to Seinfeld - he contemplates such questions as the use of irony in popular culture, the breakdown of our political processes, and the moral and legal dilemmas posed by technological advances. In these and other discussions, he lures us away from disbelief and detachment toward a sincere devotion to the healing and betterment of society."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [211]-215) and index.
Table of contents: title: Avoiding the world; title: The absence of politics; title: The practice of the public; title: The law of the land: political choice and attentiveness; title: The neighbor and the machine : technology and responsibility; title: Irony and ecstasy.