The Problem of Order: What Unites and Divides Society

Abstract

Many Americans despair that the glue that once held American society together has since come undone. Yet, as Dennis Wrong shows, our generation is not alone in fearing a breakdown of social ties and a descent into violent conflict. Analyzing such thinkers as Hobbes, Rousseau, Freud, Mead, Parsons, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, Wrong shows how their ideas about co-operation and conflict afford an illuminating perspective on our own efforts to create a well-functioning system that allows for productive and meaningful lives. In a world where diverse ethnic, religious, class, and national groups are both interdependent yet conflicted, this book reveals the individual and social processes that offer potential for reconciliation in the future.