Whether from a liberal or a radical perspective, the transition to modernity has been hailed not only as a great achievement but as providing the cultural and institutional foundations for a good society. Yet, moderni...Whether from a liberal or a radical perspective, the transition to modernity has been hailed not only as a great achievement but as providing the cultural and institutional foundations for a good society. Yet, modernity has been driven by terrible social stsains, immense conflicts, searing social stigmas, and radical exclusion. A satisfactory social theory must conceptualize the dark side of modernity as well as the ligt. This essay identifies nine dangerous frictions inherent in modernity and also defines mechanisms for their possible repair. Critics of modernity have ignored the fact that it does provide self-correcting capacities, though these capacities are never fully developed and never adequately applied.展开更多
文摘Whether from a liberal or a radical perspective, the transition to modernity has been hailed not only as a great achievement but as providing the cultural and institutional foundations for a good society. Yet, modernity has been driven by terrible social stsains, immense conflicts, searing social stigmas, and radical exclusion. A satisfactory social theory must conceptualize the dark side of modernity as well as the ligt. This essay identifies nine dangerous frictions inherent in modernity and also defines mechanisms for their possible repair. Critics of modernity have ignored the fact that it does provide self-correcting capacities, though these capacities are never fully developed and never adequately applied.