Richard Sennett thinks differently.
Where erasing Inequality was once the goal of social radicals, Sennett seeks a more humane meritocracy: a society that, while accepting inequalities of talent, seeks to nurture the best in all its members and to connect them strongly to one another..
He explores how self-worth can be nurtured in an unequal society (for example, through dedication to craft); how self-esteem must be balanced with feeling for others; and how mutual Respect can forge bonds across the divide of inequality.
In contrast to current welfare "reforms," Sennett proposes a welfare system based on Respect for those in need.
Opening with a memoir of growing up in Chicago\'s infamous Cabrini Green housing project, Richard Sennett looks at three factors that undermine mutual respect: unequal ability, adult dependency, and degrading forms of compassion.
In the uncertain World of "flexible" social relationships, all are troubled by issues of respect: whether it is an employee stuck with insensitive management, a social worker trying to aid a resentful client, or a virtuoso artist and an accompanist aiming for a perfect duet.
In this dazzling blend of personal memoir and reflective scholarship, he addresses need and social responsibility across the gulf of inequality.
Richard Sennett thinks differently
