Synopses & Reviews
In this broad-thinking and profound piece of history, Robert William Fogel synthesizes an amazing range of data into a bold and intriguing view of America's past and future--one in which the periodic Great Awakenings of religion bring about waves of social reform, the material lives of even the poorest Americans improve steadily, and the nation now stands poised for a renewed burst of egalitarian progress.
"Ideologically refreshing . . . Fogel's book is remarkable for weaving insights from history, religion, biology, nutrition, demography, economics and even a field called 'technophysio evolution' into an integrated perspective that suggests how the priorities of today's left and right might meld into a powerful new egalitarian agenda to complete the nation's unfinished business."--Matthew Miller, New York Times Book Review
"A bold and fascinating argument. . . . Fogel uses the idea of egalitarianism, which he calls our 'national creed,' to see cultural and social transformation through a political lens. If that sounds complicated--and it is--don't worry. Mr. Fogel is equal to his task."--Susan Lee, Wall Street Journal
"To take a trip around the mind of Robert Fogel, one of the grand old men of American economic history, is a rare treat. At every turning, you come upon some shiny pearl of information."--The Economist
Robert William Fogel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1993.
Synopsis
Robert William Fogel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1993.
"To take a trip around the mind of Robert Fogel, one of the grand old men of American economic history, is a rare treat. At every turning, you come upon some shiny pearl of information."and#8212;The Economist
In this broad-thinking and profound piece of history, Robert William Fogel synthesizes an amazing range of data into a bold and intriguing view of America's past and futureand#8212;one in which the periodic Great Awakenings of religion bring about waves of social reform, the material lives of even the poorest Americans improve steadily, and the nation now stands poised for a renewed burst of egalitarian progress.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-373) and index.
About the Author
Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Economics, Robert William Fogel, is the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of American Institutions in the Graduate School of Business, director of the Center for Population Economics, and a member of the Department of Economics and of the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He is also coauthor of the bestselling Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Egalitarian Creed in America
1. The Fourth Great Awakening, the Political Realignment of the 1990s, and the Potential for Egalitarian Reform
2. Technological Change, Cultural Transformations, and Political Crises
3. The Triumph of the Modern Egalitarian Ethic
4. The Egalitarian Revolution of the Twentieth Century
5. The Emergence of a Postmodern Egalitarian Agenda
Afterword: Whither Goes Our World?
Acknowledgments
Appendices
Notes
References
Index