Noted political analyst Lipset (Public Policy/George Mason Univ.;
Jews and the American Scene, 1995, etc.) argues compellingly that
both the defects and advantages of American society arise from the
same values. While the US has exercised tremendous influence over
Western countries since WW II, Lipset argues, it remains
exceptional: Americans are more religious, more patriotic, more
populist, more egalitarian, more likely to volunteer, less likely
to vote, more prone to divorce, and wealthier than citizens of
other developed countries. Lipset asserts that these seemingly
contradictory qualities result from several traits that have
characterized America from its founding: a commitment to
competitive individualism and self-determination; a deep
anti-statist orientation; and a tendency toward populism and
egalitarianism. What has emerged from this mix is a genuinely
"liberal" society in the classical sense: Even those called
conservatives in our political lexicon are committed to
individualist and egalitarian principles that would have marked
them as radicals in 19th-century Europe. The moral foundation of
public affairs in America has resulted in an ideological, crusading
approach to foreign policy, while the commitment to individualism
has resulted in high crime and divorce rates. Lipset makes an
interesting comparison between two "outlying" countries: America,
with its feeling of "exceptionalism" and Japan, with its sense of
"separateness." In contrast to Japan, Lipset notes, America remains
a heterodox, competitive, individualistic society. He points out
that the same moral concerns that produce America's high rate of
patriotism also produce opposition to war, and that the
"conservative" counterrevolution of the 19805 and '90s has roots in
traditional "liberal" mistrust of government and belief in the
primacy of the individual. A well-reasoned analysis of the unique
and self-contradictory values of American society, which underlie
both our extraordinary success and our perceptions of moral
decline. (Kirkus Reviews)
Is America unique? One of our major political analysts explores the deeply held but often inarticulated beliefs that shape the American creed.
"American values are quite complex," writes Seymour Martin Lipset, "particularly because of paradoxes within our culture that permit pernicious and beneficial social phenomena to arise simultaneously from the same basic beliefs."
Born out of revolution, the United States has always considered itself an exceptional country of citizens unified by an allegiance to a common set of ideals, individualism, anti-statism, populism, and egalitarianism. This ideology, Professor Lipset observes, defines the limits of political debate in the United States and shapes our society.
American Exceptionalism explains why socialism has never taken hold in the United States, why Americans are resistant to absolute quotas as a way to integrate blacks and other minorities, and why American religion and foreign policy have a moralistic, crusading streak.
"An illuminating new book."--David Gergen, U.S. News & World Report
"[A] magisterial attempt to distill a lifetime of learning about America into a persuasive brief . . . [by] the dean of American political sociologists."--Carlin Romano, Boston Globe
Seymour Martin Lipset lives in Arlington, Virginia.
"Invariably perceptive and revealing."--Economist
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