The Communitarian Reader

Reviews / Votes

The Communitarian Reader: Beyond the Essentials accomplishes just what its name implies. It offers a sophisticated sampling of provacative essays from a variety of communitarian perspectives. Rather than setting forth a standard communitarian 'truth,' it gathers together a series of fascinating and sometimes divergent views, bound together by an appreciation of the value of community and social responsibility. -- Robert Ackerman, The Dickinson School of Law Many people suspect that a new way must exist between the doctrine of laissez-faire (with its disdain for the bonds of society) and the doctrine of prescriptive conservatism (with its disdain for individual liberties). That new way does exist. It is called 'communitarianism,' and Amitai Etzioni is its leading theorist. This book presents an exciting and practical alternative to philosophies that have failed us. -- Steven G. Brint, University of California, Riverside A fresh, communitarian imagination animates these accessible theoretical essays, lively position pieces, and timely reports on American social trends. Here are lots of conversation-starters for anyone who wants to create a more responsible society. -- Paul Lichterman, author of The Search for Political Community: American Activists Reinventing Commitment This is an important collection of papers on communitarian themes. The authors are uniformly first-rate thinkers, and anyone who wants an overview of the subject can do no better than turning to the workn assembled by Etzioni and his collegues. -- Stephen Elkin, University of Maryland In a time with questions of local versus global allegiance, concerns for what is an appropriate moral focus, and arguments for how to instill 'proper' values into children, the issues raised in this excellent and thought-provoking reader are critical to ponder and discuss. Americans still argue the value of liberal thought in regard to the body politics, and this book provides a useful and important alternative to that view of human associations. This book can be read with profit by all segments of the public and university communities. * Perspectives on Political Science * Professor Etzioni has put himself in excellent company, usefully extending the communitarian project both practically and theoretically with input from many of the top political thinkers of our time. An invaluable volume for academicians, policymakers, and anyone concerned with the dissolution of social capital in our increasingly fragmented world. -- Mark E. Gammon, Simpson College