The Pursuit of Loneliness: American Culture at the Breaking Point

In The Pursuit of Loneliness, Philip Slater lets loose a stinging critique of mainstream American culture. He demonstrates that the ills of modern society are not simple, structural problems. In Slater's view, they are grounded in traditional American values: individualism, isolationism, and competition. And these problems are, in fact, quite numerous: violence, inequality, and addiction to technology. The Pursuit of Loneliness aims to redeem American culture by examining our society's problems, diagnosing their causes, and offering somewhat idealistic solutions. Now, it is clear that this book is a product of the 1960's. The author devotes a fair amount of time to contemporary issues. Slater is particularly vehement is his denunciation of the Vietnam War. He also glorifies the liberated values of the counterculture, as opposed to the "scarcity" of the old order. However, it is also clear that much of Slater's criticism is relevant to this day. As a society, we still face the overwhelming dangers of individual isolation and the oppressive forces of technology. It is surprising that we have been living with many of thee problems for more than half a century, and have taken no action to correct them. Philip Slater's message is an effective analysis of the underlying disorders of American culture. It is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand and cure these disorders. And at the dawning of the 21st century, the message is timelier than ever.

Today there is so much cultural revisionism and retooling of the facts surrounding the clash between the predominating mainstream material culture and the youthful counterculture that one often mutters in disgust at the kind of garish, superficial nonsense being promulgated by the popular media to the effect that the sixties generation was just about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Just fun and games, folks; nothing but fun and games. There is hardly a mention of the very serious, well-thought-through criticisms of materialism, racism, and greed that were so essential to the beginning of the conflict in the sixties. While no one who was there will deny each of these elements (the media's holy trinity of sex, drugs and rock & roll) contributed to the general cultural atmosphere of openness and emotional experimentation and intoxication, it can hardly be truthfully described so simply or in such reductionist terms. The sixties generation, and the counterculture they devised, was first and foremost an intellectual, philosophical, and even spiritual tirade against the manifestly bankrupt morals, ideas, and lifestyles of the dominant society. One of the predominating characteristics of the counterculture was its sense of moral outrage at the ethics, policies, and blatant racism in the public domain. Slater details how and why the two cultures clashed, and what the likely results would be. Unlike his younger admirers, Slater understood the power of the dominant culture, and just how perilous the position of the counterculture was growing to be. In this sense, he anticipated the kinds of events like the shootings at Kent State and in the Deep South that began the reaction and denouement of the counterculture. To read this book is to take a step back into the maelstrom that whirled around us in the sixties, and to see the nature of contemporary society in an even clearer light than is possible without it. Remember, like Theodore Roszak's book 'The Making of a Counterculture', this book was written and published even as the struggle between the mainstream society and the rebellious college students and activists was raging. There are few books that give one so clear and realistic a look at the nature of the relationship and conflict that almost tore this society apart thirty years ago; this is one of them.

This book has made such a dramatic impact with the vast wealth of insight, truth and relevance that I immediately obtained a copy of Earthwalk and am reading this now - and this book is quite profound. Mr. Slater is an example of the best that a human being can be.

The Pursuit of Loneliness is a work of utmost importance to anyone who cares about where American society has been and why it is in its current state today. Slater's characterization of what is commonly referred to by sociologists as the "American Dream Thesis" is eloquent and entirely on point. His identification and synthesis of what sex roles have become in modern American society is in-depth and complex yet so simple to understand. Slater has constructed three areas in which we as Americans frustrate our basic needs. Slater says that our traditions, values, beliefs, and institutions each contribute to our continual frustration of our inherent desire for community, engagement, and dependence. The Pursuit of Loneliness is a no-nonsense socilogical interpretation of American society's drive towards excessive individualism, and is a must read for anyone hoping to gain an understanding of why American society is in its current state.

Though Slater wrote this over 20 years ago, it is still frightening in its importance. He begins with an allegory of American Society as being too focused on indepenence and not on INTERDEPENDENCE. Then takes the concept into various, eye-opening realms. Very good commentary and one of my favorite books. I find some new facet that makes me say "AHA!" every time I read it.