Modern Age - Winter 2017 - 142

MODERN AGE

WINTER 2017

McCloskey does an excellent job of documenting this phenomenon of disaffection. From Percy Bysshe Shelley to Karl Marx to
James Howard Kunstler, a self-appointed clerisy has long voiced
its zealous opposition toward economic development and
thereby in effect resisted extending the privileges they enjoy as
members of the cultural elite to others less fortunate.
The idea of bourgeois equality has never been more relevant
than it is today. With the resurgence of the left since the fall of the
Iron Curtain, it has become politically incorrect to speak of the virtues of Western civilization and the opportunities it affords most
people. Within the academic community, the mere mention of the
American Dream is now met with contempt. Too many students
are taught to embrace a dreary cynicism that undercuts every
noble impulse and celebrates nihilism and despair. It is refreshing
indeed to read a scholar of McCloskey's standing who unabashedly celebrates both the material prosperity and the cultural and
spiritual opportunities that capitalism affords. The unprecedented
wealth that we now enjoy supports boundless opportunities in
science, arts, humanities, and even, as the Templeton Foundation
attests, religious studies. It is not just quantifiable advances but
a higher quality of life that results from trade-tested betterment.
For those who have escaped subsistence farming or the life of the
barrio, entry into the middle class brings with it not just a greater
quantity of goods and services but the chance at real happiness.
"Every day I am thankful that I was born in the twentieth century
in the United States" (537), the author declares, and there must be
many millions of others who agree with her, though the opportunity for happiness now extends well beyond America.
Unfortunately, the continuance of social advancement is hardly
assured. As -McCloskey reminds us, government intrusion can
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Modern Age - Winter 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Modern Age - Winter 2017

Contents
Modern Age - Winter 2017 - Cover1
Modern Age - Winter 2017 - Cover2
Modern Age - Winter 2017 - Contents
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