Mammon's kingdom
Subtitle: an essay on Britain, now
By: David Marquand
Publisher: Allen Lane
Published: 2014
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 275
ISBN-13: 9781846146725
Subjects: Moral conditions; History; Wealth; Social conditions; Civilization
Description: The follies and failures of bankers, regulators and governments have loomed large in public debate over the past five years. In this passionate and hard-hitting book, David Marquand digs deeper. At the heart of our predicament, he argues, lies a profound crisis of our moral economy, our public culture and our democracy. The empire of money has grown remorselessly for three decades, narrowing the space for a common life without which democratic institutions are empty shells. Increasingly, worth is equated with wealth and greed is thought to be good. Inequality has soared as a narrow elite of the super-rich has raced away from the rest of us. Humiliation at the bottom of the pile is matched by callous indifference at the top. Marquand's message is plain: we cannot go on as we are. He sets out the framework of a new public philosophy, based on the values of stewardship, democratic dialogue, civic engagement and freedom from humiliation, to spring the trap into which we have stumbled.--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-242) and index.