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The New Normal: Finding a Balance Between Individual Rights and the Common Good 1st Edition
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Amitai Etzioni argues that societies must find a way to balance individual rights and the common good. This point of balance may change as new technologies develop, the natural and international environments change, and new social forces arise.
Some believe the United States may be unduly short-changing individual rights that need to be better protected. Specifically, should the press be granted more protection? Or should its ability to publish state secrets be limited? Should surveillance of Americans and others be curtailed? Should American terrorists be treated differently from others? How one answers these questions, Etzioni shows, invites a larger fundamental question: Where is the proper point of balance between rights and security?
Etzioni implements the social philosophy, "liberal communitarianism." Its key assumptions are that neither individual rights nor the common good should be privileged, that both are core values, and that a balance is necessary between them. Etzioni argues that we need to find a new balance between our desire for more goods, services, and affluence, particularly because economic growth may continue to be slow and jobs anemic. The key question is what makes a good life, especially for those whose basic needs are sated.
- ISBN-101412854776
- ISBN-13978-1412854771
- Edition1st
- PublisherRoutledge
- Publication dateNovember 30, 2014
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- Print length418 pages
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Editorial Reviews
Review
-Amitai Etzioni asks two questions that appear evermore to complement one another: 'What can we live without?' and 'What should we not have to live with?' Economic change, he argues, has offered opportunities to reconsider the American habits and limits of consumption, and technological change poses profound challenges to establishing the limits to our protection from endless surveillance. The New Normal is a brilliant summation of Etzioni's long and productive efforts to offer a way to understand our common life and the imperatives of civil society.-
--Jonathan B. Imber, Wellesley College, Editor-in-Chief, Society
-Nearly a half-century ago John Kenneth Galbraith famously argued that when changing economic conditions render the existing -conventional wisdom- no longer applicable, ei-ther new thinking comes to the fore or unfortunate consequences ensue. Amitai Etzioni, surely one of America's broadest social thinkers today, now makes a parallel case that we need to adapt to new technological developments and new social forces. The range of con-crete implications Etzioni draws out is astonishing: foreign policy, cyber-security, medical entitlements, and more. Even readers who reject his recommendations--and I suspect few will agree with all of them, in every area--will come away informed and stimulated, with their conventional wisdom usefully challenged.-
--Benjamin M. Friedman, Harvard University
-In The New Normal, sociologist Amitai Etzioni continues to seek common ground be-tween the political extremes, exploring questions about freedom of the press, democracy, and surveillance in today's world. His deep and lasting commitment to communitarianism and to the development of moral order in society show throughout his book, with ample references to current press dialogues, inviting all to serious discussion of these important issues.-
--Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, Author, Inner Peace--Global Impact
-Ever since he founded communitarianism, Etzioni has been a tireless and astute investigator of the inner workings of civil society. Tackling some of the most challenging conundrums facing us today, and exposing the fatuousness of the binaries, liberal/conservative and public/private, The New Normal will make you question some things you were certain about, confirm your convictions about others, and make you aware of things you hadn't considered. In all cases, it will make you think.-
--Deborah Tannen, University Professor and Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University, author of You Just Don't Understand and The Argument Culture
-Amitai Etzioni's collection of essays on -the new normal- in the economy, our politics, and national security is a testament to his unflagging interest and wide-ranging knowledge on a multitude of topics. Well-researched, accessible, and containing provocative new insights, it is a good book to put on your reading list in 2015.-
--Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution and author of Generation Unbound (2014)
-Encyclopedic learning. Wide range. And uncommon wisdom. These are the qualities that pervade Amitai Etzioni's new book. He sheds penetrating light on issues including the need to tame consumerism in times of economic scarcity and climate change; the case for judicious curbs on the media's ever more reckless exposure of national security secrets; how to prevent abuse of the strong surveillance powers that the government needs to protect us while protecting essential privacy against private as well as governmental actors; the real meaning of our much-lamented government gridlock; and much more.-
--Stuart Taylor, Jr., is a leading journalistic commentator on legal and policy issues, is currently a freelance author and journalist. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
-Amitai Etzioni's remarkable intellectual energy is on display in this panoramic analysis of American society. The New Normal is part shrewd, informed socio-political analysis, and part moral manifesto, making a convincing case for an austere, disciplined personal life and commitment to the flourishing of the larger community that helps constitute us. Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force.-
--Peter H. Schuck, Yale Law School and author of Why Government Fails So Often and How It Can Do Better
-Amitai Etzioni's The New Normal, lucidly captures the dilemmas and tradeoffs between security and privacy, freedom and order, and individual rights and the common good in an age of burgeoning technology and social media.-
--Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University, author, Power and Willpower in the American Future: Why the U.S. is not Destined to Decline
-Amitai Etzioni's extraordinary breadth is on display in The New Normal, which is an invaluable guide to thinking about domestic and foreign policy issues ranging from freedom of the press to drone strikes. Etzioni's analysis is consistently thorough and fair, as he lays out all sides of the moral, legal, and practical considerations that need to be addressed with some of the most difficult public policy issues today. This is the work of a leading social thinker dedicated to finding the best possible reconciliation of rights of the individual with needs of the community.-
--Paul R. Pillar, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University
"Amitai Etzioni asks two questions that appear evermore to complement one another: 'What can we live without?' and 'What should we not have to live with?' Economic change, he argues, has offered opportunities to reconsider the American habits and limits of consumption, and technological change poses profound challenges to establishing the limits to our protection from endless surveillance. The New Normal is a brilliant summation of Etzioni's long and productive efforts to offer a way to understand our common life and the imperatives of civil society."
--Jonathan B. Imber, Wellesley College, Editor-in-Chief, Society
"Nearly a half-century ago John Kenneth Galbraith famously argued that when changing economic conditions render the existing "conventional wisdom" no longer applicable, ei-ther new thinking comes to the fore or unfortunate consequences ensue. Amitai Etzioni, surely one of America's broadest social thinkers today, now makes a parallel case that we need to adapt to new technological developments and new social forces. The range of con-crete implications Etzioni draws out is astonishing: foreign policy, cyber-security, medical entitlements, and more. Even readers who reject his recommendations--and I suspect few will agree with all of them, in every area--will come away informed and stimulated, with their conventional wisdom usefully challenged."
--Benjamin M. Friedman, Harvard University
"In The New Normal, sociologist Amitai Etzioni continues to seek common ground be-tween the political extremes, exploring questions about freedom of the press, democracy, and surveillance in today's world. His deep and lasting commitment to communitarianism and to the development of moral order in society show throughout his book, with ample references to current press dialogues, inviting all to serious discussion of these important issues."
--Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, Author, Inner Peace--Global Impact
"Ever since he founded communitarianism, Etzioni has been a tireless and astute investigator of the inner workings of civil society. Tackling some of the most challenging conundrums facing us today, and exposing the fatuousness of the binaries, liberal/conservative and public/private, The New Normal will make you question some things you were certain about, confirm your convictions about others, and make you aware of things you hadn't considered. In all cases, it will make you think."
--Deborah Tannen, University Professor and Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University, author of You Just Don't Understand and The Argument Culture
"Amitai Etzioni's collection of essays on "the new normal" in the economy, our politics, and national security is a testament to his unflagging interest and wide-ranging knowledge on a multitude of topics. Well-researched, accessible, and containing provocative new insights, it is a good book to put on your reading list in 2015."
--Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution and author of Generation Unbound (2014)
"Encyclopedic learning. Wide range. And uncommon wisdom. These are the qualities that pervade Amitai Etzioni's new book. He sheds penetrating light on issues including the need to tame consumerism in times of economic scarcity and climate change; the case for judicious curbs on the media's ever more reckless exposure of national security secrets; how to prevent abuse of the strong surveillance powers that the government needs to protect us while protecting essential privacy against private as well as governmental actors; the real meaning of our much-lamented government gridlock; and much more."
--Stuart Taylor, Jr., is a leading journalistic commentator on legal and policy issues, is currently a freelance author and journalist. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
"Amitai Etzioni's remarkable intellectual energy is on display in this panoramic analysis of American society. The New Normal is part shrewd, informed socio-political analysis, and part moral manifesto, making a convincing case for an austere, disciplined personal life and commitment to the flourishing of the larger community that helps constitute us. Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force."
--Peter H. Schuck, Yale Law School and author of Why Government Fails So Often and How It Can Do Better
"Amitai Etzioni's The New Normal, lucidly captures the dilemmas and tradeoffs between security and privacy, freedom and order, and individual rights and the common good in an age of burgeoning technology and social media."
--Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University, author, Power and Willpower in the American Future: Why the U.S. is not Destined to Decline
"Amitai Etzioni's extraordinary breadth is on display in The New Normal, which is an invaluable guide to thinking about domestic and foreign policy issues ranging from freedom of the press to drone strikes. Etzioni's analysis is consistently thorough and fair, as he lays out all sides of the moral, legal, and practical considerations that need to be addressed with some of the most difficult public policy issues today. This is the work of a leading social thinker dedicated to finding the best possible reconciliation of rights of the individual with needs of the community."
--Paul R. Pillar, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University
"Amitai Etzioni asks two questions that appear evermore to complement one another: 'What can we live without?' and 'What should we not have to live with?' Economic change, he argues, has offered opportunities to reconsider the American habits and limits of consumption, and technological change poses profound challenges to establishing the limits to our protection from endless surveillance. The New Normal is a brilliant summation of Etzioni's long and productive efforts to offer a way to understand our common life and the imperatives of civil society."
--Jonathan B. Imber, Wellesley College, Editor-in-Chief, Society
"Nearly a half-century ago John Kenneth Galbraith famously argued that when changing economic conditions render the existing "conventional wisdom" no longer applicable, ei-ther new thinking comes to the fore or unfortunate consequences ensue. Amitai Etzioni, surely one of America's broadest social thinkers today, now makes a parallel case that we need to adapt to new technological developments and new social forces. The range of con-crete implications Etzioni draws out is astonishing: foreign policy, cyber-security, medical entitlements, and more. Even readers who reject his recommendations--and I suspect few will agree with all of them, in every area--will come away informed and stimulated, with their conventional wisdom usefully challenged."
--Benjamin M. Friedman, Harvard University
"In The New Normal, sociologist Amitai Etzioni continues to seek common ground be-tween the political extremes, exploring questions about freedom of the press, democracy, and surveillance in today's world. His deep and lasting commitment to communitarianism and to the development of moral order in society show throughout his book, with ample references to current press dialogues, inviting all to serious discussion of these important issues."
--Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, Author, Inner Peace--Global Impact
"Ever since he founded communitarianism, Etzioni has been a tireless and astute investigator of the inner workings of civil society. Tackling some of the most challenging conundrums facing us today, and exposing the fatuousness of the binaries, liberal/conservative and public/private, The New Normal will make you question some things you were certain about, confirm your convictions about others, and make you aware of things you hadn't considered. In all cases, it will make you think."
--Deborah Tannen, University Professor and Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University, author of You Just Don't Understand and The Argument Culture
"Amitai Etzioni's collection of essays on "the new normal" in the economy, our politics, and national security is a testament to his unflagging interest and wide-ranging knowledge on a multitude of topics. Well-researched, accessible, and containing provocative new insights, it is a good book to put on your reading list in 2015."
--Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution and author of Generation Unbound (2014)
"Encyclopedic learning. Wide range. And uncommon wisdom. These are the qualities that pervade Amitai Etzioni's new book. He sheds penetrating light on issues including the need to tame consumerism in times of economic scarcity and climate change; the case for judicious curbs on the media's ever more reckless exposure of national security secrets; how to prevent abuse of the strong surveillance powers that the government needs to protect us while protecting essential privacy against private as well as governmental actors; the real meaning of our much-lamented government gridlock; and much more."
--Stuart Taylor, Jr., is a leading journalistic commentator on legal and policy issues, is currently a freelance author and journalist. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
"Amitai Etzioni's remarkable intellectual energy is on display in this panoramic analysis of American society. The New Normal is part shrewd, informed socio-political analysis, and part moral manifesto, making a convincing case for an austere, disciplined personal life and commitment to the flourishing of the larger community that helps constitute us. Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force."
--Peter H. Schuck, Yale Law School and author of Why Government Fails So Often and How It Can Do Better
"Amitai Etzioni's The New Normal, lucidly captures the dilemmas and tradeoffs between security and privacy, freedom and order, and individual rights and the common good in an age of burgeoning technology and social media."
--Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University, author, Power and Willpower in the American Future: Why the U.S. is not Destined to Decline
"Amitai Etzioni's extraordinary breadth is on display in The New Normal, which is an invaluable guide to thinking about domestic and foreign policy issues ranging from freedom of the press to drone strikes. Etzioni's analysis is consistently thorough and fair, as he lays out all sides of the moral, legal, and practical considerations that need to be addressed with some of the most difficult public policy issues today. This is the work of a leading social thinker dedicated to finding the best possible reconciliation of rights of the individual with needs of the community."
--Paul R. Pillar, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Routledge; 1st edition (November 30, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 418 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1412854776
- ISBN-13 : 978-1412854771
- Item Weight : 1.52 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,342,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #412 in Privacy & Surveillance in Society
- #4,304 in General Elections & Political Process
- #5,508 in National & International Security (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

After receiving his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1958, Dr. Amitai Etzioni served as a Professor of Sociology at Columbia University for 20 years; part of that time as the Chairman of the department. He was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution in 1978 before serving as a Senior Advisor to the White House from 1979-1980. In 1980, Dr. Etzioni was named the first University Professor at The George Washington University, where he is the Director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies. From 1987-1989, he served as the Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Professor at the Harvard Business School.
Dr. Etzioni served as the president of the American Sociological Association in 1994-95, and in 1989-90 was the founding president of the international Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics. In 1990, he founded the Communitarian Network, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to shoring up the moral, social and political foundations of society (http://communitariannetwork.org/). He was the editor of The Responsive Community: Rights and Responsibilities, the organization's quarterly journal, from 1991-2004. In 1991, the press began referring to Dr. Etzioni as the 'guru' of the communitarian movement.
Outside of academia, Dr. Etzioni's voice is frequently heard in the media. In 2001, he was named among the top 100 American intellectuals as measured by academic citations in Richard Posner's book, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline.
Also in 2001, Dr. Etzioni was awarded the John P. McGovern Award in Behavioral Sciences as well as the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was also the recipient of the Seventh James Wilbur Award for Extraordinary Contributions to the Appreciation and Advancement of Human Values by the Conference on Value Inquiry, as well as the Sociological Practice Association's Outstanding Contribution Award.
Dr. Etzioni is married and has five sons.
If you would like to join Dr. Etzioni's mailing list, with the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies, visit: http://icps.gwu.edu/contact/mailing-list/
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He answers this by studying the surveillance programs of the NSA (revealing the importance of proper oversight, including by civilians!); the freedom of the press (a chapter that includes some stunning cases in which newspapers published state secrets—which causes great damage to national security, including the loss of ten submarines by the US); and by arguing that American terrorists do not deserve more rights than others.
I was most surprised by his chapter on privacy merchants, those corporations that keep detailed dossiers on most Americans not only about what consumer goods they buy but also about their personal habits, mental health and much else. This is fairly widely known. What Etzioni though reveals is that these corporations sell this information to the FBI and IRS and other government agencies. This means that the government can in this way do all the spying the constitution prohibits!
The rest of the book deals with the fact that the US is sliding toward a war with China, and what can be done to stop this looming catastrophe, and-- the secret behind the gridlock in Washington. These chapters alone, you will find, are well wroth the high price the publisher set on the book.






