Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Respect in a world of inequality

2003; Association of College and Research Libraries; Volume: 41; Issue: 01 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5860/choice.41-0643

1943-5975

Richard Sennett,

Political and Economic history of UK and US

In Respect, distinguished sociologist Richard Sennett explores the need for respect -- and the consequences of disrespect -- in a highly competitive and interdependent society.Opening with a memoir of growing up in Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green housing project, Richard Sennett looks at three factors that undermine mutual respect: unequal ability, adult dependency, and degrading forms of compassion. In contrast to current welfare reforms, Sennett proposes a welfare system based on respect for those in need. He explores how self-worth can be nurtured in an unequal society (for example, through dedication to craft); how self-esteem must be balanced with feeling for others; and how mutual respect can forge bonds across the divide of inequality.Where erasing inequality was once the goal of social radicals, Sennett seeks a more humane meritocracy: a society that, while accepting inequalities of talent, seeks to nurture the best in all its members and to connect them strongly to one another.