The America syndrome
Subtitle: apocalypse, war and our call to greatness
By: Betsy Hartmann
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 282
ISBN-13: 9781609807405
Subjects: Civilization; American National characteristics; Social psychology; Crises; Fear; Exceptionalism
Description: "In this thought-provoking, big-idea book, Betsy Hartmann sheds light on a pervasive but--until now--invisible theme shaping the American mindset: apocalyptic thinking, or the belief that the end of the world is nigh. Tracing our nation's fixation with doomsday from the Puritans to the present, Hartmann makes a compelling case that apocalyptic fears are deeply intertwined with the American ethos, to our detriment. Hartmann shows how apocalyptic thinking has historically contributed to some of our nation's biggest problems, such as inequality, permanent war, and the exploitation of natural resources. While it is tempting to view these problems as harbingers of the end times, this mindset constricts the collective imagination and precludes social change. The truth is that we have much more control over the future of our planet than we think, and our fatalism is much more dangerous than the apocalypse. In The America Syndrome, Hartmann seeks to reclaim human agency and, in so doing, revise the national narrative. By changing the way we think, we just might change the world"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : end times and endless war; title: The Puritans : pride and prejudices of a chosen people; title: Utopian dreams, millennial madness; title: Boom and doom : the magic of the atom; title: The church of Malthus; title: Climate change : tip of the melting iceberg.