Reviews for The bittersweet century

The average rating for The bittersweet century based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-14 00:00:00 Robert J. Meadows To begin at the end, the book includes a quirky, fun lexicon which is not to be missed. Moving backwards, he helpfully and very briefly summarizes his main arguments in 14 numbered points in the last chapter. Stout's analysis of two very widely read books, "Habits of the Heart" and "Beyond Moral Virtue" is useful whether you've read the books or not. I've only read the latter. I'm afraid the discussion of Richard Rorty requires more knowledge of Rorty's writings than I have. I found myself agreeing with Stout's stereoscopic social criticism for the most part. It's his term and no, it hasn't caught on. It's is just a commonsensical approach to ethics which for which no new term was really necessary. When he writes that (point 7. of his summary) "We can, nonetheless, reasonably hope for a world in which the proliferation, distribution, and merchandizing of external goods is subject to just political control. . . ." I have to say this is exactly where the real debate begins. His stereoscopic criticism is skirting some very nasty details. The government's or society's desire to impose so called just political control will necessarily through some chain filter all the way down and make contact with individuals' at the point at which they are forced to make a decision, perhaps about a very mundane matter. Detailed examination of this is usually omitted because it seems tiresome to academics and policy makers. But this is the way average people come to experience bad policies and it really matters.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-04-09 00:00:00 Nigel Rabbetts Jeffrey Stout, with characteristic lucidity and complexity, discusses traditional ethical theories in light of the later Wittgenstein's legacy (using Rorty, Davidson, and Quine). This was very helpful: not only is his lexicon humorous, concise, and highly relevant (he advises, with quick philosophical quips, which understandings of issues such as conceptual schemes to commit oneself to), but his discussion of theories is both generous and critical. I'd recommend it to any student of ethics.