Progress and Disillusion: Dialectics of Modern Society

by Raymond Aron

Ecrit en 1964-1965 pour l'Encyclopaedia Britannica, cet essai se trouve accordé, en 1969, à l'humeur de l'opinion dans les pays occidentaux. Après un quart de siècle de croissance économique, la société moderne, baptisée en France société de consommation et ailleurs société opulente, doit affronter de nouveaux assauts. (...) Tout se passe comme si les désillusions du progrès, créées par la dialectique de la société moderne, et, à ce titre, inévitables, étaient éprouvées par la jeune génération des années soixante avec une telle intensité que l'insatisfaction endémique s'exprime en révolte. Du même coup, l'observateur s'interroge sur le sens de cette explosion, sur la direction dans laquelle la société moderne pourrait répondre aux désirs qu'elle suscite, apaiser la faim, peut-être plus spirituelle que matérielle, qu'elle fait naître...

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1969

About the author

Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron (French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ aʁɔ̃]; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist, and political scientist.
He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people – Aron argues that in post-war France, Marxism was the opium of intellectuals. In the book, Aron chastised French intellectuals for what he described as their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. Critic Roger Kimball[2] suggests that Opium is "a seminal book of the twentieth century." Aron is also known for his lifelong friendship, sometimes fractious, with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.[3]
He is also known for his 1973 book, The Imperial Republic: The United States and the World 1945-1973, which influenced Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, among others.
Aron wrote extensively on a wide range of other topics. Citing the breadth and quality of Aron's writings, historian James R. Garland[4] suggests, "Though he may be little known in America, Raymond Aron arguably stood as the preeminent example of French intellectualism for much of the twentieth century."

Reviews

[Greyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated and needlessly opaque. There are definitely better choices.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My cat did not appreciate this book as much as I thought he would.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14062822