The one and the many : America's struggle for the common good / Martin E. Marty.
1997
JK1764 .M37 1997 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
The one and the many : America's struggle for the common good / Martin E. Marty.
ISBN
9780674638273 hardcover alkaline paper
0674638271 hardcover alkaline paper
0674638271 hardcover alkaline paper
Publication Details
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1997.
Language
English
Description
244 pages ; 25 cm.
Call Number
JK1764 .M37 1997
Dewey Decimal Classification
322.4/0973
Summary
E pluribus unum no longer holds. Out of the many have come as many claims and grievances, all at war with the idea of one nation undivided. The damage thus done to our national life, as too few Americans seek a common good, is Martin Marty's concern. His book is an urgent call for repair and a personal testament toward resolution.
Although the grand story of oneness eludes us (and probably always will), Marty reminds us that we do have a rich, ever-growing, and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols, histories, and, most of all, stories on which to draw. He pictures these stories, with their diverse interpretations, as part of a conversation that crosses the boundaries of groups. Where argument polarizes and deafens, conversation is open-ended, guided by questions, allowing for inventiveness, fair play, and dignity for all. It serves as a medium in Marty's broader vision, which replaces the restrictive, difficult, and perhaps unattainable ideal of "community" with the looser, more workable idea of "association."
An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.
Although the grand story of oneness eludes us (and probably always will), Marty reminds us that we do have a rich, ever-growing, and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols, histories, and, most of all, stories on which to draw. He pictures these stories, with their diverse interpretations, as part of a conversation that crosses the boundaries of groups. Where argument polarizes and deafens, conversation is open-ended, guided by questions, allowing for inventiveness, fair play, and dignity for all. It serves as a medium in Marty's broader vision, which replaces the restrictive, difficult, and perhaps unattainable ideal of "community" with the looser, more workable idea of "association."
An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.
Note
Although the grand story of oneness eludes us (and probably always will), Marty reminds us that we do have a rich, ever-growing, and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols, histories, and, most of all, stories on which to draw. He pictures these stories, with their diverse interpretations, as part of a conversation that crosses the boundaries of groups. Where argument polarizes and deafens, conversation is open-ended, guided by questions, allowing for inventiveness, fair play, and dignity for all. It serves as a medium in Marty's broader vision, which replaces the restrictive, difficult, and perhaps unattainable ideal of "community" with the looser, more workable idea of "association."
An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.
An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-238) and index.
Series
Joanna Jackson Goldman memorial lecture on American civilization and government.
Record Appears in
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Table of Contents
1. Restoring the Body Politic
2. Possessing Our Common Stories
3. One People, One Story
4. Forcing One Story on the Many
5. Plural Possessors, Single Intentions
6. The Exclusivists' Stories
7. Association over Community
8. Argument, Conversation, and Story
9. Storied Places, Where Healing Can Begin
10. The Constitutional Myth
11. Cohesive Sentiment.
2. Possessing Our Common Stories
3. One People, One Story
4. Forcing One Story on the Many
5. Plural Possessors, Single Intentions
6. The Exclusivists' Stories
7. Association over Community
8. Argument, Conversation, and Story
9. Storied Places, Where Healing Can Begin
10. The Constitutional Myth
11. Cohesive Sentiment.