4 options
For common things : irony, trust, and commitment in America today / Jedediah Purdy.
LIBRA Special HN65 .P87 1999
Available in person
Request an item
Access options
LIBRA HN65 .P87 1999
Available from offsite location
LIBRA HN65 .P87 1999
Available from offsite location
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Purdy, Jedediah, 1974-
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Social participation--United States.
- Social participation.
- United States.
- Social action--United States.
- Social action.
- United States--Social conditions--1980-2020.
- Social conditions.
- United States--Politics and government--1993-.
- Politics and government.
- Penn Provenance:
- Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)
- Physical Description:
- xxiii, 226 pages ; 20 cm
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : A.A. Knopf, 1999.
- Summary:
- Unusual and impressive, this is a twenty-four-year-old writer's ringing and heartfelt plea for renewed commitment to--and faith in--civic and political life.
- Given the cynicism rampant in America today, Jedediah Purdy's endeavor may seem quixotic. But he 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.
- Contents:
- Chapter 1 Avoiding the World 9
- Chapter 2 The Absence of Politics 38
- Chapter 3 The Practice of the Public 77
- Chapter 4 The Law of the Land: Political Choice and Attentiveness 129
- Chapter 5 The Neighbor and the Machine: Technology and Responsibility 161
- Chapter 6 Irony and Ecstasy 185.
- Notes:
- "This is a Borzoi book"--T.p. verso.
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-215) and index.
- Local Notes:
- Gotham Book Mart Collection copy has Gotham Book Mart bookmark laid in.
- ISBN:
- 0375407081
- OCLC:
- 41326261
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.