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Powerful and moving. . . . A magisterial synthesis. --Michael Stern
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Can we continue to believe in progress? In this sobering analysis of the Western human condition, Christopher Lasch seeks the answer in a history of the struggle between two ideas: one is the idea of progress - an idea driven by the conviction that human desire is insatiable and requires ever larger production forces. Opposing this materialist view is the idea that condemns a boundless appetite for more and better goods and distrusts "improvements" that only feed desire. Tracing the opposition to the idea of progress from Rousseau through Montesquieu to Carlyle, Max Weber and G.D.H. Cole, Lasch finds much that is desirable in a turn toward moral conservatism, toward a lower-middle-class culture that features egalitarianism, workmanship and loyalty, and recognizes the danger of resentment of the material goods of others.
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The premise underlying this investigation-that old political ideologies have exhausted their capacity either to explain events or to inspire men and women to constructive action-needs an introductory word of explanation. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The premise underlying this investigation-that old political ideologies have exhausted their capacity either to explain events or to inspire men and women to constructive action-needs an introductory word of explanation. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I frequently argue that the breadth of Lasch's moral vision requires a thorough reading of his ouevre, not just an individual title. That said, TRUE AND ONLY HEAVEN comes the closest to encapsulating what Lasch, as one of the last best public intellectuals, had to say. Part of HEAVEN's success in this regard is its simple length, which allows for a more comprehensive statement. More important, though, is that here finally Lasch is explicitly taking as subject what was his central obsession all along: the locomotive degradation of allegiance to the Jeffersonian ideal in a heedless process called "progress." Those accustomed to the spirited polemic of his more famous work may find themselves slowed by the more overtly scholarly nature of this one, but the payoff is big in terms of a foundation in the animating ideas of the lifework of the best cultural critic of his era. Lasch is never simple. He is always subtle, and always stoic: he makes Hawthorne and Nietszche look like playground amatuers. More importantly, his perspective is radical enough (meaning, truly alternative--almost anarchic)and his arguments innovative enough that one may finish his book and only think one has read it. A close, careful read, however, will yield a take on the malaise critical to any sort of "progress" in the discourse about the future of democracy in America.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read other books by Christopher Lasch, I was impressed by the way he manages to criticize the inanities and follies of the left, whilst remaining faithful to the progressive view of traditional left wing policies. I was aware, though, that those who are narrow-minded, but like to think of themselves as 'right on' liberals (read "middle class college-educated whites") would frequently have a problem with Lasch's free thinking.
The last review of this book had a particularly silly comment: "As a feminist and a white Woman who empathizes with African Americans and other exploited peoples . . ."
The sheer level of patronage here (which i'm sure the reviewer was not even aware of) is breathtaking. All African Americans are, to her, 'exploited peoples' - victims to be pitied and thrown a few coins, rather than individuals like everyone else.
I realized then that if this sort of person didn't like the book, as it offended her sensibilities, then it must contain more of the free-thinking analysis you would expect of Lasch, and i went ahead and bought it.
The last review of this book had a particularly silly comment: "As a feminist and a white Woman who empathizes with African Americans and other exploited peoples . . ."
The sheer level of patronage here (which i'm sure the reviewer was not even aware of) is breathtaking. All African Americans are, to her, 'exploited peoples' - victims to be pitied and thrown a few coins, rather than individuals like everyone else.
I realized then that if this sort of person didn't like the book, as it offended her sensibilities, then it must contain more of the free-thinking analysis you would expect of Lasch, and i went ahead and bought it.
1 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is simply amazing that anyone still bothers with Christopher Lasch. He is apparently one of those neo-conservative writers who desperately wish to be considered 'faithful' to the old Left. Well, he's not fooling me. I picked this thing up at the library and was hooked- not for his ideas, which are predictable and even conservative, but for the way he thinks he has something conclusive to say about everything. He is afraid of contemporary feminist challenges to his own assumptions, is afraid of African Americans making a world for themselves, afraid of everything. As a feminist and a white Woman who empathizes with African Americans and other exploited peoples, I know I can find better discussions of the politics of race and gender in the United States. Don't bother with this one, please.
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