Description
Book SynopsisSince the time of Adam Smith, scholars have tried to understand the role moral sentiments play in modern life, an issue that became especially urgent during and after the 2008 global financial crisis. Previous explanations have ranged from the idea that modern society is built on moral values to the notion that modernisation results in moral decay. The essays in this interdisciplinary volume use the example of Dutch society and a wealth of empirical data to propose a novel theory about the ambivalent relation between contemporary life and human nature. In the process, the contributors argue for the need to reject simplistic explanations and reinvent civil society.
Table of Contents1. The question: from Adam Smith to our days 2. Theoretical perspectives on modernization 3. Introduction to Dutch society: Liquid modernity 4. Symptoms of moral erosion: nuisance and violence 5. Ordinary people and their highest ideals 6. Modernization and the change of values 7. Moral behaviour and professional life 8. Moral sentiments and social imagination 9. The moral healing of modern wounds 10. Dutch society in the European context 11. Modern society and moral defence 12. Conclusion: Reinventing civil society
