Graceful Simplicity: The Philosophy and Politics of the Alternative American Dream / Edition 1

by Jerome M. Segal

Overview

Despite the United States' economic abundance, "the good life" has proved elusive. Millions long for more time for friends and family, for reading or walking or relaxing. Instead our lives are frantic, hectic, and harried. In Graceful Simplicity, Jerome M. Segal, philosopher, political activist, and former staff member of the House Budget Committee, expands and deepens the contemporary discourse on simple living. He articulates his conception of a politics of simplicity—one rooted in beauty, peace of mind, appreciativeness, and generosity of spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520236004
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	04/30/2003
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	289
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jerome M. Segal is the author of Agency and Alienation: A Theory of Human Presence (1991) and Creating the Palestinian State: A Strategy for Peace (1989), and coauthor of Negotiating Jerusalem (2000). He is Senior Research Scholar at the University of Maryland Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy.

Table of Contents

	Preface to the Paperback Edition	xi
	Preface	xix
	Acknowledgments	xxvii
Part I	Toward a Politics of Simplicity
Chapter 1	Two Ways of Thinking About Money	3
Chapter 2	Individualistic Strategies for Simple Living	23
Chapter 3	The Money We Need	45
Chapter 4	The Politics of Simplicity	73
	Interlude
Chapter 5	How Did We Get Where We Are?	119
Part II	Toward a Philosophy of Simple Living
Chapter 6	Graceful Living	159
Chapter 7	Graceful Living and Retreating from the World	180
Chapter 8	Graceful Opulence versus Graceful Simplicity	200
Chapter 9	Are We Simple Creatures?	214
Chapter 10	The Monetary Illusion	228
	Conclusion: Economic Life for the Twenty-first Century	247
	Notes	253