The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition [Paperback]

Philip Slater (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807042013 | ISBN-13: 978-0807042014 | Publication Date: July 1, 1990 | Edition: 3

In a classic indictment of American individualism and isolationism, Philip Slater analyzes the great ills of modern society-violence, competitiveness, inequality, and the national 'addiction' to technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 3 edition (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807042013
• ISBN-13: 978-0807042014
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Prescient Chronicle of the 1960s Culture Wars, May 5, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

Today there is so much cultural revisionism and retooling of the facts surrounding the clash between the predominating mainstream material culture and the youthful counterculture that one often mutters in disgust at the kind of garish, superficial nonsense being promulgated by the popular media to the effect that the sixties generation was just about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Just fun and games, folks; nothing but fun and games. There is hardly a mention of the very serious, well-thought-through criticisms of materialism, racism, and greed that were so essential to the beginning of the conflict in the sixties. While no one who was there will deny each of these elements (the media's holy trinity of sex, drugs and rock & roll) contributed to the general cultural atmosphere of openness and emotional experimentation and intoxication, it can hardly be truthfully described so simply or in such reductionist terms. The sixties generation, and the counterculture they devised, was first and foremost an intellectual, philosophical, and even spiritual tirade against the manifestly bankrupt morals, ideas, and lifestyles of the dominant society. One of the predominating characteristics of the counterculture was its sense of moral outrage at the ethics, policies, and blatant racism in the public domain. Slater details how and why the two cultures clashed, and what the likely results would be. Unlike his younger admirers, Slater understood the power of the dominant culture, and just how perilous the position of the counterculture was growing to be. In this sense, he anticipated the kinds of events like the shootings at Kent State and in the Deep South that began the reaction and denouement of the counterculture. To read this book is to take a step back into the maelstrom that whirled around us in the sixties, and to see the nature of contemporary society in an even clearer light than is possible without it. Remember, like Theodore Roszak's book 'The Making of a Counterculture', this book was written and published even as the struggle between the mainstream society and the rebellious college students and activists was raging. There are few books that give one so clear and realistic a look at the nature of the relationship and conflict that almost tore this society apart thirty years ago; this is one of them.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It makes you ask questions, June 12, 2000

By 

Jonathan Ashley - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

If you are an American living in the United States you need to buy this book. It was written about the 20th century but applies now more than ever. It makes you ask yourself why you use technology to distance yourself from people when you should be getting closer. That may sound hippie-ish, but ask yourslef if you've ever said in your job "I only work here." to another person who had a problem. If you have, you need to realize that democracy doesn't come from goods. It starts from people. It'll knock your socks off. If you aren't American you'll probably want it to see what a sorry state we're in, but with "Californication" theories, you might not be too far off.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Important Work, May 11, 1999

By 

DRB (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

The Pursuit of Loneliness is a work of utmost importance to anyone who cares about where American society has been and why it is in its current state today. Slater's characterization of what is commonly referred to by sociologists as the "American Dream Thesis" is eloquent and entirely on point. His identification and synthesis of what sex roles have become in modern American society is in-depth and complex yet so simple to understand. Slater has constructed three areas in which we as Americans frustrate our basic needs. Slater says that our traditions, values, beliefs, and institutions each contribute to our continual frustration of our inherent desire for community, engagement, and dependence. The Pursuit of Loneliness is a no-nonsense socilogical interpretation of American society's drive towards excessive individualism, and is a must read for anyone hoping to gain an understanding of why American society is in its current state.