Opposing the System

By the author of "The Greening of America", this text argues that western civilization is beset by a malady that has much in common with the crisis of the natural environment. Occidental man is suffering from a depletion of the human habitat and human values by the same forces that are destroying nature. But the destruction of the human habitat is much more insidious, obvious only in symptoms such as the weakening economy, violence and crime, the decline of happiness and meaning. To combat this, Reich proposes a twofold cure: society must set new constitutional limits on the system and replenish the values which have been lost. Through a radical and detailed reorganization of its sexual and political mores, Reich argues, the future of the west can be one where individuals may prosper and society itself will benefit.