Review by Booklist Review
Speaking in cautionary hypotheticals in 1959, the British jurist Lord Devlin warned that if its members lost their shared understanding of good and evil, society would disintegrate. Sixty years later, Sacks discerns on both sides of the Atlantic precisely the catastrophe that Devlin anticipated. In the culture of radical individualism now prevailing in both the U.S. and the UK, this former chief rabbi of Great Britain sees only the coercion of the state and the blandishments of the market guiding most people's behavior. Sacks limns the origins of modern individualism in intellectuals such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, but it is in the do-your-own-thing sixties that he sees individualism taking over popular culture. It particularly alarms Sacks that individualistic heedlessness has undermined marriage and family. The consequent atomization of society, Sacks laments, leaves rootless and frequently despairing men and women, vulnerable to suicidal impulses, and typically incapable of sustaining the civil and open dialogue essential to a liberal democracy that protects freedom but fosters cooperation. Surprisingly, after highlighting the centrality of religion in forging moral community, Sacks expresses hope for a secular renascence of such community as young people rediscover the value of service to others. An urgent summons to personal reflection and public discussion.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
How might a renowned religious leader and philosopher address the contemporary crises facing America? Sacks (Not in God's Name) first examines the historical background that has led to a lack of shared morality, values, and virtues. He associates these factors as being largely responsible for problems such as the overemphasis on individualism, the increased divisiveness both in political and in cultural realms, the breakdown in public discourse, and the loss of a shared commitment to the common good. Sacks views the current cultural landscape as developing from philosophical, political, and social changes, as well as a shift away from Judeo-Christian values. His book is a call for a renewed sense of trust and civility, both in society and in individuals. He sees the way forward as being through the development of a covenantal approach in political, economic, and cultural areas, in which the focus is on "we" and not on "I." While Sacks does not discuss effective ways to bring about this transition to covenant theology, he offers steps readers can take to begin engaging in altruism. VERDICT This major work in moral philosophy and theology should engage all readers, but particularly scholars, undergraduates, and graduate students.--John Jaeger, Johnson Univ., Knoxville, TN
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
