The Persistence of Racism in AmericaWhy have racist attitudes persisted in America despite tremendous changes in education and socialization during the last four decades? In this book, Thomas Powell explains the patterns of beliefs, attitudes, and values that have supported these views. In a broad exploration that analyzes the values expressed by Western thinkers from the Enlightenment to contemporary thought, Powell reaches the controversial conclusion that racism is linked to many of our most cherished social, political, and religious values. |
Contents
The Subject of Racism | 1 |
In the Times of English Exploration and Colonization | 9 |
Reconciling Slavery with Christianity | 15 |
The Enlightenment | 21 |
Human Nature in the Enlightenment | 27 |
The Pursuit of Happiness Utilitarian Individualism | 33 |
Natural Rights and SelfEvident Truth | 39 |
Equality of Opportunity as an Ideal | 45 |
SelfImprovement | 169 |
The Persistence of Romanticism | 173 |
Asserting Autonomy the Free Agent | 179 |
Liberal Economic and Political Individualism | 185 |
Modernism Reshapes Liberalism | 193 |
The Limits of Liberal Reform | 201 |
Free Will and Determinism | 205 |
Behaviorism and Individualism | 211 |
Liberal Individualism and Equality | 51 |
The Yeoman Ideal and the Frontier | 59 |
Biological Determinism | 67 |
The Quantification of Difference | 73 |
Social Darwinism and Individualist Competition | 77 |
Enlightened Selfinterest | 89 |
Race Ideology and Expansionism | 97 |
Intelligence and Eugenics | 105 |
Scholarly and Christian Racism | 111 |
Eighteen Democratic and Progressive Racism | 117 |
Pragmatic Individualism | 123 |
Pragmatic Truth and the Concept of Deserving | 129 |
Instrumentalism | 137 |
Ethical Naturalism | 145 |
The Canon of Character | 149 |
New Thought From Character to MindSet | 153 |
New Thought and Psychology | 155 |
New Thought and Success Mind Over Matter | 159 |
Mind Cure From Character to Personality | 163 |
That OldTime Religion | 219 |
WillPower After Modernism | 227 |
Individualist Ethical Theory | 235 |
Individualism and Justice | 241 |
Individualist Ethics A Further Note | 251 |
Moral Subjectivism | 255 |
SelfReferential Validation | 261 |
Egoism | 267 |
Pragmatic Individualisms Therapeutic Appeal | 271 |
Believing What Helps | 277 |
Be What You Want to Be Do What You Want to Do | 281 |
An American Way Individualism Beyond Commitment | 287 |
Selfimportance Individualism without Individuality | 291 |
Individualism and Racism | 299 |
A Note on the Future of Racism | 305 |
| 311 | |
| 329 | |
| 335 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acceptance African-Americans Africans American appeal Arminian assertion assumed assumptions autonomy B. F. Skinner basis became behavior beliefs and attitudes biological determinism blacks character choice choose Christopher Lasch claims comfortable common competition conception culture democracy deserving determinism Dewey doctrine economic egoism emotivism enlightened self-interest Enlightenment equality of opportunity ethical naturalism example feel freedom greatest number Huber human Ibid idea ideal identity individual responsibility individualistic intellectual interest intuitive James James's Jefferson John John Dewey lack liberalism liberty means mind modern moral sense natural rights nineteenth century organization perceived Philip Rieff philosophy political popular position pragmatism progress pursuit of happiness question race Rawls reality reason regard rejected religion religious Rieff Romantic Romanticism salvation says scientific racism self-evident self-interest self-referential validation simply Skinner social Social Darwinism society Steven Lukes subjectivism success theory therapeutic thinkers thinking thought traditional truth twentieth century University Press utilitarian values York