Rugged Individualism: Dead or Alive?

by David Davenport, Gordon Lloyd

Today, American “rugged individualism” is in a fight for its life on two battlegrounds: in the policy realm and in the intellectual world of ideas that may lead to new policies. In this book, the authors look at the political context in which rugged individualism flourishes or declines and offer a balanced assessment of its future prospects. They outline its path from its founding—marked by the Declaration of Independence—to today, focusing on different periods in our history when rugged individualism was thriving or was under attack. The authors ultimately look with some optimism toward new frontiers of the twenty-first century that may nourish rugged individualism. They assert that we cannot tip the delicate balance between equality and liberty so heavily in favor of equality that there is no liberty left for individual Americans to enjoy.

Genres: History

136 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I attended a talk at Hoover where Dr Davenport presented on this. It was very interesting to have a discussion about it in relation to the new administration and their approach to "Rugged Individualism".

The book provides a good compilation of debates surrounding the title of the book and what threats hang in the balance of the future of the U.S.A. It was an academic perspective I had not come across. I especially appreciated the healthcare section and its impact on the "Rugged Individual" vs the "Forgotten Man".

[Lloyd Fassett]

5/17/17 Found it through a Commonwealth of California podcast when he was on book tour. He's mentions Picketty and Fukiyama in the talk. Sounds like an interesting treatise on the American Character