| Dark Age Ahead Contributor(s): Jacobs, Jane (Author) |
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ISBN: 1400076706 ISBN-13: 9781400076703 Publisher: Vintage OUR PRICE: $14.36 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2005 Annotation: In this indispensable book, urban visionary Jane Jacobs--renowned author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and The Economy of Cities--convincingly argues that as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future, we stand on the brink of a new dark age, a period of cultural collapse. Jacobs pinpoints five pillars of our culture that are in serious decay: community and family; higher education; the effective practice of science; taxation, and government; and the self-regulation of the learned professions. The corrosion of these pillars, Jacobs argues, is linked to societal ills such as environmental crisis, racism, and the growing gulf between rich and poor. But this is a hopeful book as well as a warning. Drawing on her vast frame of reference-from fifteenth-century Chinese shipbuilding to Ireland's cultural rebirth-Jacobs suggests how the cycles of decay can be arrested and our way of life renewed. Invigorating and accessible, Dark Age Ahead is not only the crowning achievement of Jane Jacobs' career, but one of the most important works of our time. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Sociology - Urban - Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social |
| Dewey: 901 |
| LCCN: 2003066680 |
| Physical Information: 0.57" H x 5.28" W x 8" (0.41 lbs) 256 pages |
| Themes: - Demographic Orientation - Urban |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this indispensable book, urban visionary Jane Jacobs argues that as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future, we're at risk of cultural collapse. Jacobs--renowned author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and The Economy of Cities--pinpoints five pillars of our culture that are in serious decay: community and family; higher education; the effective practice of science; taxation, and government; and the self-regulation of the learned professions. The corrosion of these pillars, Jacobs argues, is linked to societal ills such as environmental crisis, racism, and the growing gulf between rich and poor. But this is a hopeful book as well as a warning. Drawing on a vast frame of reference--from fifteenth-century Chinese shipbuilding to Ireland's cultural rebirth--Jacobs suggests how the cycles of decay can be arrested and our way of life renewed. Invigorating and accessible, Dark Age Ahead is not only the crowning achievement of Jane Jacobs' career, but one of the most important works of our time. |