The Demoralization of Western Culture: Social Theory and the Dilemmas of Modern Living

Description

There is a continuing popular debate in the Western world about values, and in particular those values according to which we conduct our private lives. This debate reflects genuine confusion about our morality; it seems that we are more unsure about where right and wrong might lie than at any previous point in our history. In The Demoralization of Western Culture Ralph Fevre undertakes an ambitious exercise in social theory that attempts to produce a comprehensive explanation of these difficulties. His book is most concerned with two main ideas: the application of rationality in the wrong place, and the type of rationality that is being misapplied. He argues that the most important cause behind the demoralization of our culture lies in the popularity of a particular sort of reasoning, a sub-category of rationality called “common sense” which came to dominate our thinking during the twentieth century. One example of this kind of reasoning is the rational application of cost benefit analysis to things that have symbolic value, such as when we weigh the costs of day care versus staying home with the children. In doing so, Fevre argues, we have just applied a cost benefit analysis to our relationships with our children. Fevre writes “The way reason spreads to areas in which belief used to matter underpins demoralization …” and he applies this notion to all aspects of our lives, from our sexual relationships to our careers. Drawing on a wide variety of existing social theory, as well as evidence from surveys, polls, journalism, and various forms of cultural commentary, Fevre’s book aims to be accessible to all those with an interest in the present crisis of values. The evidence he brings together to support his argument includes information about work, art, sex, religion, political legitimacy, ecology, nationalism and advertising. Underlying his concern with accessibility lies a deeper conviction about what social science should be. Breaking free of the conventions of specialized social science, he moves instead into the territory of public philosophy, a tradition that forces us to engage in ethical reflection as well as the simple evaluation of argument.