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Dark Side of Modernity
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Description
Alexander examines how twentieth-century theorists struggled to comprehend the Janus-faced character of modernity, which looks backward and forward at the same time. Weber linked the triumph of worldly asceticism to liberating autonomy but also ruthless domination, describing flights from rationalization as systemic and dangerous. Simmel pointed to the otherness haunting modernity, even as he normalized the stranger. Eisenstadt celebrated Axial Age transcendence, but acknowledged its increasing capacity for barbarity. Parsons heralded American community, but ignored modernity's fragmentations.
Rather than seeking to resolve modernity's contradictions, Alexander argues that social theory should accept its Janus-faced character. It is a dangerous delusion to think that modernity can eliminate evil. Civil inclusion and anti-civil exclusion are intertwined. Alexander enumerates dangerous frictions endemic to modernity, but he also suggests new lines of social amelioration and emotional repair.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
200
Release Date:
2013-01-18
Publication Date:
2013-02-18
Publisher:
Polity Press
Languages:
Original:
English
ISBN10:
0745648223
ISBN13:
9780745648224
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
Weight:
318 g
Height:
153 cm
Width:
228 cm
Thickness:
17 cm
Condition
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Good
The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.
€5,59