The Politics and Business of Self-Interest from Tocqueville to Trump

Self-interest is an important human motive and this book explores its evolution in the United States and its consequences for politics, business, and personal relationships. In the postwar era American understandings of self-interest have moved away from Alexis de Tocqueville's concept of "self-interest well-understood" - in which people recognize that their interests are served by the success of the community of which they are part - towards "individualism" - by which he meant narrow framing that often leads people to pursue their interests at the expense of the community. The book documents this evolution through qualitative and quantitative content analysis of presidential speeches, television sitcoms and popular music, before exploring its negative consequences for democracy.

List of contents

1 Introduction.- 2 Self-Interest.- 3 Presidential Speeches.- 4 I Love Lucy to Modern Family.- 5 Rock to Rap.- 6 Self-Interest and Democracy.

Summary

Self-interest is an important human motive and this book explores its evolution in the United States and its consequences for politics, business, and personal relationships. In the postwar era American understandings of self-interest have moved away from Alexis de Tocqueville’s concept of “self-interest well-understood” – in which people recognize that their interests are served by the success of the community of which they are part – towards “individualism” – by which he meant narrow framing that often leads people to pursue their interests at the expense of the community. The book documents this evolution through qualitative and quantitative content analysis of presidential speeches, television sitcoms and popular music, before exploring its negative consequences for democracy. 

Product details

• Authors: Richard Ned Lebow
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2018
• EAN: 9783319886220
• ISBN: 978-3-31-988622-0
• No. of pages: 125
• Dimensions: 145 mm x 205 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 187 g
• Illustrations: IX, 125 p. 20 illus., 19 illus. in color.
• Series: International Political Theory
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Comparative and international political science; C, Amerika, Democracy, Political Science, Political Theory, Political science & theory, Political structures: democracy, auseinandersetzen, Political Science and International Studies, United States of America, USA, US Politics, United States—Politics and government, American Politics, Politikwissenschaft und politische Theorie, American political crisis, Donald Trump and selfishness, political leadership in America, American political culture, Tocqueville's Democracy in America, popular culture and US politics, culture wars in America