Americký novinář a komentátor David Brooks již dlouho s nebývalým přehledem a rázností zkoumá způsob, jakým žijeme. Kniha boří zažité definice úspěchu a předkládá nám vizi kultury založené na důvěře a pokoře. V knize Společenský tvor rozebírá lidskou komunikaci a ukazuje, že společně toho dokážeme více. Najdeme zde působivé myšlenkové dobrodružství, příběh o úspěchu a také obhajobu pokroku. Po přečtení této knihy ji britský premiér David Cameroon doporučil všem členům svého kabinetu.
David Brooks přináší do našich životů poznání a originální pohled na svět prostřednictvím svého sloupku v New York Times a bestsellerů. V knize se zaměřuje na neuro-vědecký pohled na lidskou komunikaci a ukazuje, jak společně dokážeme víc. Nyní se soustředí na hlubší hodnoty, které by měly být základem našich životů, a reaguje na fenomén „kultura velkého já“, který upřednostňuje vnější úspěch. Vyzývá nás k přehodnocení rovnováhy mezi hodnotami spojenými s úspěchem, jako je bohatství a sláva, a hlubšími ctnostmi, jako jsou laskavost a odvaha. Tyto ctnosti poznáme kritickým pohledem na naše vztahy. Brooks čerpá z odkazu velkých myslitelů a vůdců, kteří si vybudovali silný vnitřní charakter díky vnitřnímu boji a poznání svých limitů. Frances Perkinsová chápala, že pro službu vyšším ideálům musí potlačit část své osobnosti. Dwight Eisenhower se řídil uvědomělou sebekázní, zatímco Dorothy Day poznala sílu prostoty a odevzdanosti. A. Philip Randolph a Bayard Rustin si uvědomovali hodnotu zdrženlivosti a potřebu sebekritiky i v boji za vznešené cíle. Kniha mísí psychologii, politiku, spiritualitu a osobní zpověď, a dává nám příležitost přehodnotit své priority a usilovat o bohatší vnitřní život plný pokory a morálního bohatství. Brooks píše, že „radost je vedlejší produkt, kterého se dostává lidem usilujícím o něco jiného. Přesto však přijde.“
Nová americká elita a její styl. Bobos - "bourgeois bohemians", bohémská buržoazie a současná americká vyšší třída - vznikla syntézou amerického kulturního a hospodářského mainstreamu 70. let a revolty proti establishmentu generace let šedesátých. Kdo jsou tito bobos, kteří se dostali nahoru spíše díky svým znalostem a schopnostem než díky konexím a rodinnému původu? Jaké místo mají vzdělání, práce, peníze, majetek a zábava v jejich hodnotovém žebříčku? Jakým způsobem ovlivňují americký kulturní a společenský život? Na tyto a další otázky hledá autor odpověď ve své "komické sociologii", založené spíše na pozorování a úvahách než na statistikách a suchých teoriích. Ať je náš postoj k americkým elitám jakýkoli, bobos si vybrali z generací "hippies" a "yuppies" ty sympatičtější prvky a patří-li jim kromě současnosti i budoucnost, je to spíše dobrá zpráva.
Through a series of insightful essays, the author delves into the complex relationship between humans and animals as portrayed in literature and culture. He explores diverse topics, including iconic works like 'The Man from Snowy River' and contemporary issues such as veganism and wildlife culling. With a keen focus on how these discussions reveal deeper societal attitudes, the author challenges readers to reflect on the implications of our interactions with other species and the necessary steps for progress in understanding these vital connections.
"'We need to organise politically to defend the weak, empower the many and prepare the ground for reversing the absurdities of capitalism.' - Yanis Varoufakis. 'Capitalism over the past twenty-five years has been an incredible moral good.' - David Brooks. The Munk debate on capitalism: There is a growing belief that the capitalist system no longer works. Inequality is rampant. The environment is being destroyed for profits. In some western nations, life expectancy is even falling. Political power is wielded by wealthy elites and big business, not the people. But for proponents of capitalism, it is the engine of progress, not just making all of us materially better off, but helping to address everything from women's rights to political freedoms. We seem to stand at a crossroads: do we need to fix the system as a matter of urgency, or would it be better to hold our nerve?'"-- Provided by publisher
From the influential and hugely popular "New York Times" columnist and bestselling author of "Bobos in Paradise" comes a landmark exploration of how human beings and communities succeed.
This title includes contributions from Richard Dawkins, Stephen Pinker, Daniel Dennett and Brian Eno among many others. It offers ideas, strategies and arguments that will help all of us understand our world and its future.
Are you on your first or second mountain? Is life about yourself or others? Are you self-improving or committed? Mainstream culture teaches us that human beings pursue our self-interest - money, power, fame. But at some point in our life we might discover that we're not interested in what other people tell us to want. We want to want the things that are truly worthy of wanting. At this point, you have moved to your second mountain. What does it mean to elevate your desires, to look beyond consumption and find a moral cause? To forget about independence and discover dependence - to be utterly enmeshed in a web of warm relationships? What does it mean to want intimacy, devotion, responsibility and commitment above individual freedom? In The Second Mountain David Brooks explores the meaning and possibilities that scaling a second mountain offer us, and the four commitments that most commonly move us there- family, vocation, philosophy and community. Inspiring, personal and full of joy, this is the start of a deeper journey into the world.
'David Brooks's gift-as he might put it in his swift, engaging way-is for making obscure but potent social studies research accessible and even startling. . . . [ The Road to Character is] a hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story. . . . In the age of the selfie, Brooks wishes to exhort us back to a semiclassical sense of self-restraint, self-erasure, and self-suspicion.' -Pico Iyer, The New York Times Book Review §§'[Brooks] emerges as a countercultural leader. . . . The literary achievement of The Road to Character is inseparable from the virtues of its author. As the reader, you not only want to know about Frances Perkins or Saint Augustine. You also want to know what Brooks makes of Frances Perkins or Saint Augustine. The voice of the book is calm, fair and humane. The highlight of the material is the quality of the author's moral and spiritual judgments.' -Michael Gerson, The Washington Post §§'Original and eye-opening . . . At his best, Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.' - USA Today §§'David Brooks breaks the columnist's fourth wall. . . . There is something affecting in the diligence with which Brooks seeks a cure for his self-diagnosed shallowness by plumbing the depths of others. . . . Brooks's instinct that there is wisdom to be found in literature that cannot be found in the pages of the latest social science journals is well-advised, and the possibility that his book may bring the likes of Eliot or Samuel Johnson- another literary figure about whom he writes with engaging sympathy-to a wider general readership is a heartening thought.' -Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker § §'If you want to be reassured that you are special, you will hate this book. But if you like thoughtful polemics, it is worth logging off Facebook to read it.' - The Economist §§'A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.' - The Guardian (U.K.)§§'Brooks uses the powerful stories of people such as Augustine, George Eliot and Dwight Eisenhower to inspire.' - The Times (U.K.)§§'This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.' -Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon §§'Elegant and lucid . . . a pitch-perfect clarion call, issued not with preachy hubris but from a deep place of humility, for awakening to the greatest rewards of living . . . The Road to Character is an essential read in its entirety-Anne Lamott with a harder edge of moral philosophy, Seneca with a softer edge of spiritual sensitivity, E. F. Schumacher for perplexed moderns.' -Maria Popova, Brain Pickings §§'David Brooks-the New York Times columnist and PBS commentator whose measured calm gives punditry a good name-offers the building blocks of a meaningful life in The Road to Character .' - Washingtonian ('Four Books Washingtonians Should Be Reading This Month')§§'Brooks, author of The Social Animal, offers biographies of a cross section of individuals who struggled against their own weaknesses and limitations and developed strong moral fiber. . . . [He] offers a humility code that cautions against living only for happiness and that recognizes we are ultimately saved by grace.' - Booklist § §'The road to exceptional character may be unpaved and a bit rocky, yet it is still worth the struggle. This is the basic thesis of Brooks's engrossing treatise on personal morality in today's materialistic, proud world. . . . [His] poignant and at times quite humorous commentary on the importance of humility and virtue makes for a vital, uplifting read.' - Publishers Weekly
A social critique of middle-class America notes the pervasiveness of barbecue grills, supermoms, suburban restaurant chains, and other elements, identifying the motivations that prompt many people to strive for fantasy-based goals.
