false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175283690m/500815.jpg 500815 3 American society is a culture of paradoxes. Never has a country produced such great abundance, yet never have we had to work such long hours to sustain a quality of life marred by corporate exploitation and senseless consumerism. Collectively, our middle class possesses massive wealth, yet we are currently powerless to effect substantial change in both the capitalist or democratic systems. We have irresponsibly destroyed the world's natural resources, yet--as in the past--our "daring innovation" may help resolve the calamitous ecological crisis we have created in the first place. In his sixth book, <I>The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy</I>, William Greider attempts to discover "how and why our brilliant economic system collides with so many of society's broader aspirations and regularly frustrates them." How did these paradoxes develop and how will they be redressed? Greider flatly states that his intention is not to discuss a utopian ideal, but rather to relate his "conviction that the arrangements within capitalism can be changed, little by little, to make more space for life through innovations that eventually become common practice." </p><p> Greider creates a sobering picture of the obstacles we must overcome if we are ever to re-establish "an authentic democracy," one that truly serves the values of the majority and not just the wealthy few and the status quo. Indeed his descriptions of the deleterious effects of capitalism on the environment, the American workforce (white and blue collar alike), and the very fabric of American life expose an urgent need for change. Greider maintains that the strength of the capitalist system is its adaptability. Therefore, despite his frank admission that substantial change will be difficult and a long time in coming, his catalogue of small successes and localized reform initiatives lend credibility to his hopeful claim that "the corporate institution is ripe for reinvention." --<I>Silvana Tropea</I> 488920 2003 The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy total:31|5:6|4:13|3:9|2:2|1:1| 31 114 78 6 4 0 false false Tue Sep 22 15:22:47 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 15:26:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Apr 11 07:02:12 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 07:09:52 -0700 2009 A pleasantly written exploration of alternatives to the predatory, cutthroat form of capitalism we have seen arise since the 1980s. The interesting thing about these alternatives is that they have arisen within capitalism itself. Some examples: environmental screening of corporations for socia...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 13:25:37 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 08 11:46:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Feb 14 21:22:30 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 21:22:30 -0800 2008 I enjoyed what Greider had to say but I didn't understand enough of his subject on my own (my fault, of course) to really get the full brunt of it.

It would have been nice if he had written it with more of a historical background in mind, or maybe a brief outline on the economics at...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 05:45:07 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 05:55:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Jun 01 11:07:49 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 01 11:08:36 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Sun Nov 08 11:10:03 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 11:10:03 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Oct 12 20:52:57 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 20:52:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Oct 08 14:19:56 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 08 14:19:56 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Oct 01 19:22:18 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 19:22:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Aug 25 14:32:05 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 08:50:17 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 22:15:06 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 22:15:27 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 26 08:56:13 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 08:58:35 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jul 16 16:00:48 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 16:00:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 08 10:24:34 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 10:24:34 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 01 16:54:25 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 16:54:25 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 22 11:05:41 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 11:05:41 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jun 19 22:13:38 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 22:13:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon May 11 19:51:52 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 19:51:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon May 11 11:36:02 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 11:36:02 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=500815