Twenty-First Century and Its Discontents : How Changing Discourse Norms Are Changing Culture

Simmons, Jack (EDT); Nordenhaug, Erik (CON); Mcintyre, Kenneth B. (CON); Rich, Leigh E. (CON); Butterfield, Elizabeth (CON)

ISBN 10: 1793608016 / ISBN 13: 9781793608017

Published by Lexington Books, 2022

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 44699156

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Twenty-First Century and Its Discontents : How Changing Discourse Norms Are Changing Culture
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1793608016
• ISBN 13: 9781793608017
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

American culture is changing, a sentiment echoed in phrases such as “the new normal,” and “in these uncertain times,” that regularly introduce all forms of public discourse now, signally a national sense of vulnerability and transformation. Cultural shifts generally involve multiple catalysts, but in this collection the contributors focus on the role changing discourse norms play in cancel culture, corporatism, the counter-sexual revolution, racialism, and a radically divided political climate. Three central themes arise in the arguments. First, that contemporary discourse norms emphasize outcomes rather than shared understanding, which support institutional and political goals but contribute to the contemporary political divide, and the notion that we are engaged in a zero-sum game. These discourse norms give rise to a form of Adorno’s administered world, such that we order society according to dominant opinions, which generally means those well acclimated to institutional and corporate culture. Finally, as Arendt feared, the personal has become political, meaning that the toxic public discourse invades private discourse, reducing personal autonomy and leaving us perpetually under the scrutiny of institutional authority.

About the Author

Jack Simmons is professor of philosophy at Georgia Southern University.