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The Culture Cultis an acerbic critique of that longing widespread
in society today to ?retreat from civilization.? From Rousseau and
the Noble Savage to modern defenders of ethnicity such as Isaiah
Berlin and Karl Polanyi, a prominent intellectual tradition has
over-romanticized the virtues of tribal life. In contrast, another
tradition, represented by Karl Popper, Michael Polanyi, and Ernest
Gellner, defends modern values and civil society. The Culture Cult
discusses both sides of this divide between "culture" and
"civilization," and between "closed" and "open" societies. The
romantic insistence on the superiority of the primitive is
increasingly grounded in a fictionalized picture of the past-a
picture often created with the aid of well-meaning but misguided
anthropologists. Such idealizations work to the detriment of the
very people they are meant to help, for they isolate minorities
from such undeniable benefits of modern society as literacy and
health care, and discourage them from participating in modern life.
Few will find comfort in The Culture Cult, but many will recognize
a valuable criticism of currently popular social politics.
"The Culture Cult"is an acerbic critique of that longing widespread
in society today to "retreat from civilization." From Rousseau and
the Noble Savage to modern defenders of ethnicity such as Isaiah
Berlin and Karl Polanyi, a prominent intellectual tradition has
over-romanticized the virtues of tribal life. In contrast, another
tradition, represented by Karl Popper, Michael Polanyi, and Ernest
Gellner, defends modern values and civil society. The Culture Cult
discusses both sides of this divide between "culture" and
"civilization," and between "closed" and "open" societies. The
romantic insistence on the superiority of the primitive is
increasingly grounded in a fictionalized picture of the past-a
picture often created with the aid of well-meaning but misguided
anthropologists. Such idealizations work to the detriment of the
very people they are meant to help, for they isolate minorities
from such undeniable benefits of modern society as literacy and
health care, and discourage them from participating in modern life.
Few will find comfort in The Culture Cult, but many will recognize
a valuable criticism of currently popular social politics.
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