Description
Book SynopsisThis book gives explanations for the growing gap in wealth and income and the rise of anti-democratic movements. The power of the elites today is supposedly founded on merit (education, intelligence etc.), but a closer look shows that a well-marked-out pool is just self-re-producing. The power these in-groups wield often leads to moral insensibility, made worse by a condescending attitude towards people further down the food chain. The pre-dominance of the model of the nation-state, with its centralism and top-down structure, is one of the roots of this problem, as is the lack of comparisons and value judgements; examples from transport and urbanism show that they are possible. The deplorable situation is made worse by the “anti-“social-media scuppering open and productive discussions.
Table of ContentsThe achievements of Western democracies (equality, rule of law, social justice) are met with growing disdain. The option of comparing different systems and trying to improve them is not practised any more. The elites (social, political, economic, intellectual) are met with scorn and hate by the common people who are treated with disdain and contempt – social give and take does not happen anymore, the situation is made worse by the social media.
