The Cultural Contradictions Of Capitalism - Softcover

Daniel Bell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0465014992 ISBN 13: 9780465014996

Publisher: Basic Books, 1996

Synopsis

Since its original publication in 1976, "The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism" has been hailed as an intellectual tour de force that redefines how we think about the relationships among economics, culture and social change. Daniel Bell, the author of such other modern classics as "The End of Ideology" and "The Coming of Post Industrial Society," argues that the unbounded drive of modern capitalism undermines the moral foundations of the original Protestant ethic that ushered in capitalism itself. In a major new afterword, Bell offers a bracing perspective on contemporary Western society, from the end of the Cold War to the rise and fall of postmodernism, revealing the crucial cultural fault lines we face as the twenty first century approaches. Praise for the Twentieth Anniversary edition: "Daniel Bell is our lively, necessary sage. He sees our world clearly; he sees our world whole. The new edition of "The Cultural Contradictions of capitalism" enriches our culture and increases our store of wisdom, sanity, and humanity at a time when cheap opinion threatens them all." --Catherine R. Stimpson, University Professor, Rutgers University, and Director, Fellows Program, MacArthur Foundation "Daniel Bell has become our Jeremiah. But he doesn't rant. His blend of contemporary history and phrase-making sociology nails us squirming to the reckless culture we have spawned." --Roger Shattuck, President, the association of literary scholars and critics, and author of "Forbidden Knowledge" Praise for the original edition: "Bell's book is a work of synthesis and interpretation, ambitious, far-reaching and challenging at every turn....this book is a model of clarity andrelentless intelligence." -- "The Atlantic Monthly" "Others are entering similar pleas, but Bell's seems the most brightly argued." - "Time"

About this title

Product Description:

With a new afterword by the author, this classic analysis of Western liberal capitalist society contends that capitalism,and the culture it creates,harbors the seeds of its own downfall by creating a need among successful people for personal gratification,a need that corrodes the work ethic that led to their success in the first place. With the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new world order, this provocative manifesto is more relevant than ever.

About the Author:

Daniel Bell is the Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences Emeritus at Harvard University and Scholar-in-Residence at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of editor of 17 books, two of which, The End of Ideology and The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, were listed among the 100 Most Influential Books since the Second World War (TLS, October 1995).

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0465014992
• ISBN 13: 9780465014996
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 399