A lengthy study of American workers and their relationship with
money, though it lacks the spark of Wuthnow's foster father,
Benjamin Franklin. Wuthnow, a noted professor of religion
(Princeton; God and Mammon in America, 1994, etc.), here conducts
extensive interviews with Americans to reveal what he sees as a
disparity between work, money, and spiritual health. Some of the
interviewees raise interesting points. One claims that the
difference between a salary of $30,000 and $70,000 is minimal; it's
the move from $12,000 to $30,000 that counts. Another, a wealthy
lawyer, assuages his fear of spending too much by compulsively
turning out lights. All of those interviewed complain that they
feel distant from family and values. Wuthnow's main point, which he
illustrates with heavy-handed quotes and the story of Franklin, is
that a more moral pursuit of money is needed. His theory - that a
moral orientation to economics allows a worker a measure of choice
- is a good one. The American Dream, he argues, has drifted more
into a steady drone of endless work, and only an infusion of values
can save it. However, while Wuthnow quotes a good deal of
statistics, it's not clear why he thinks this amoral trend in the
American economy has happened. He gives a number of examples of
workers caught by golden handcuffs (they earn a lot, but they spend
as much as they earn, so the cycle is endless), with the
not-so-subtle implication that it is the lack of moral direction in
their job choice that has led them astray, rather than the fact
they don't save any of their earnings. His particular brand of
Judeo-Christian morality is hardly a balm to people who simply
can't manage money. Though the book is rather plodding and offers
vague philosophy instead of action, it does raise important
questions about the internal life of the American worker. (Kirkus
Reviews)
The American Dream is in serious danger, according to Robert
Wuthnow--not because of economic conditions, but because its moral
underpinnings have been forgotten. In the past this vision was not
simply a formula for success, but a moral perspective that framed
our thinking about work and money in terms of broader commitments
to family, community, and humanitarian values. Nowadays, we are
working harder than ever, and yet many of us feel that we are not
realizing our higher aspirations as individuals or as a people.
Here Wuthnow examines the struggles in which American families are
now engaged as they try to balance work and family, confront the
pressures of consumerism, and find meaning in their careers. He
suggests that we can find economic instruction and inspiration in
the nation's past--in such figures as Benjamin Franklin, for
instance, who was at once the prudent Poor Richard, the engaged
public person, and the enthusiastic lover of life.
Drawing on first-hand accounts from scores of people in all
walks of life and from a national survey, the book shows that work
and money cannot be understood in terms of economic theories alone,
but are inevitably rooted in our concepts of ourselves and in the
symbolic rituals and taboos of everyday life. By examining these
implicit cultural understandings of work and money, the book
provides a foundation for bringing moral reasoning more fully to
bear on economic decisions. It re-examines the moral arguments that
were prominent earlier in our history, shows how these arguments
were set aside with the development of economistic thinking, and
suggests their continuing relevance in the lives of people who have
effectively resisted the pressures of greater financial
commitments. Demonstrating that most Americans do bring values
implicitly to bear on their economic decisions, the book shows how
some people are learning to do this more effectively and, in the
process, gain greater control over their work and finances. At a
time when policymakers are raising questions about the very
survival of the American dream, "Poor Richard's Principle" offers
an analysis of how moral restraint can once again play a more
prominent role in guiding our thinking.
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