Customer Reviews

The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition

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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.

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.

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.

Slater brings about some interesting takes on issues which, at the time the book was originally published, seemed earth-shattering. The really amazing thing is, though there is some dated quotes and observations, his views hold up after several decades. He looks outside of the liberal and conservative viewpoints ands finds somethings which could easily help our society.

Though Slater wrote this over 20 years ago, it is still frightening in its importance. He begins with an allegory of American Society as being too focused on indepenence and not on INTERDEPENDENCE. Then takes the concept into various, eye-opening realms. Very good commentary and one of my favorite books. I find some new facet that makes me say "AHA!" every time I read it.

Timeless truths from a classic in sociology. It's rather amazing to me how prescient Slater truly was. Many of his observations remain (fortunately or unfortunately) accurate today.

One of the major contributions of this work is Slater's coining of the term "The Toilet Assumption." He defines the concept as follows:

The Toilet Assumption, for one - the belief that social unpleasantness, once flushed out of sight. ceases to exist-remains cenntra1 to American culture. P. xii

Our ideas about institutionalizing the aged, psychotic, retarded, and infirm are based on a pattern of thought that we might call the Toilet Assumption - the notion that unwanted matter, unwanted difficulties, unwanted complexities and obstacles will disappear if they're removed from our immediate field of vision. P. 19

Slater's characterization of economists still causes many to smile in acknowledgment of his accuracy in the following:

Economists - "But it would be hard to find a field more fraught with mystification than economics, partly because it figures so strongly in political disputes. Most people feel a vague but insistent skepticism about professional economists, the certainty of whose predictive pronouncements varies inversely with their accuracy. Government economists tend to take the position that the public is just naïve, ignorant of the complexities of economic processes. The fact that their own superior knowledge rarely leads them to agree with one another doesn't seem to distress them. Nor does the fact that our economy has become progressively sicker in response to their ministrations." P. 169

There's so much to this book that requires one to ponder, to ask questions, to become befuddled as to why many of the social problems Slater delineates in the 70's remain unresolved in the second decade of the second millennium.The following is one that rings so true:

There's probably no more important task ahead of us than finding a way for people to make a living being useful to the community. P. 165

Contemplating or studying American culture? This particular book provides an essential perspective that one does not often encounter.

Like I said, a timeless, American sociological classic.

Philip Slater puts forth with vehemence and passion his opinions on the trends of hyperconsumerism and overindependence that are driving rifts between the people of our nation and diverting much-needed resources from instituations designed to create health and well-being. His observations about how middle-class Americans are alienating themselves by placing far too much emphasis on material possessions, individualistic thought ("I am different from all of you"), and an economy that is powerfully rooted in the need to simply consume and produce goods rather than increase the quality of life are interesting, though a bit dated, and still hold much relevance to the current situation today. Still, the phenomena he rages against are nothing new to the conscientious among us, and there are many other views on the problems of loneliness and hyperconsumerism that prey on us. Slater makes powerful points, and he clearly has a deep desire to see change and the end of the injustices that characterize our century, but I found his writing style and thought process to be scattered and far too extremist to inspire me. His book seemed less of an empirical analysis of the problems facing our nation and what we can do to solve them and more of an emotional rant about what he personally feels is wrong and where he feels we all went wrong. Nothing bad about that, it's just he seems so angry and hurt about it all that he didn't come close to capturing me (though the chapter about Vietnam and the last chapter were coming close). It was a good book, but there are far better books written by far more inspirational people. Carl Rogers ("On Becoming a Person") was a psychologist who spoke beautifully and wisely for the healing of the isolation and misunderstandings in our relationships with each other. Barbara Marx Hubbard ("Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential") writes convincingly and with an uplifting sense of hope about the problems we face as a people and a culture and what we can do in the coming decades to move in the direction that Philip Slater longed for. Both these authors, and many others, rationally describe problems we all face, then offer warm and well though-out advice about what we can all do. Slater seems like something of a ranter, and reading his book only depressed me. But hey, read the book, then move on. Good luck!

In The Pursuit of Loneliness, Philip Slater lets loose a stinging critique of mainstream American culture. He demonstrates that the ills of modern society are not simple, structural problems. In Slater's view, they are grounded in traditional American values: individualism, isolationism, and competition. And these problems are, in fact, quite numerous: violence, inequality, and addiction to technology. The Pursuit of Loneliness aims to redeem American culture by examining our society's problems, diagnosing their causes, and offering somewhat idealistic solutions.

Now, it is clear that this book is a product of the 1960's. The author devotes a fair amount of time to contemporary issues. Slater is particularly vehement is his denunciation of the Vietnam War. He also glorifies the liberated values of the counterculture, as opposed to the "scarcity" of the old order. However, it is also clear that much of Slater's criticism is relevant to this day. As a society, we still face the overwhelming dangers of individual isolation and the oppressive forces of technology. It is surprising that we have been living with many of thee problems for more than half a century, and have taken no action to correct them.

Philip Slater's message is an effective analysis of the underlying disorders of American culture. It is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand and cure these disorders. And at the dawning of the 21st century, the message is timelier than ever.

In The Pursuit of Loneliness, Philip Slater lets loose a stinging critique of mainstream American culture. He demonstrates that the ills of modern society are not simple, structural problems. In Slater's view, they are grounded in traditional American values: individualism, isolationism, and competition. And these problems are, in fact, quite numerous: violence, inequality, and addiction to technology. The Pursuit of Loneliness aims to redeem American culture by examining our society's problems, diagnosing their causes, and offering somewhat idealistic solutions.

Now, it is clear that this book is a product of the 1960's. The author devotes a fair amount of time to contemporary issues. Slater is particularly vehement is his denunciation of the Vietnam War. He also glorifies the liberated values of the counterculture, as opposed to the "scarcity" of the old order. However, it is also clear that much of Slater's criticism is relevant to this day. As a society, we still face the overwhelming dangers of individual isolation and the oppressive forces of technology. It is surprising that we have been living with many of thee problems for more than half a century, and have taken no action to correct them.

Philip Slater's message is an effective analysis of the underlying disorders of American culture. It is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand and cure these disorders. And at the dawning of the 21st century, the message is timelier than ever.

This book has made such a dramatic impact with the vast wealth of insight, truth and relevance that I immediately obtained a copy of Earthwalk and am reading this now - and this book is quite profound. Mr. Slater is an example of the best that a human being can be.