Charles Handy

Description

Charles Handy article on what Alexis de Tocqueville would think of America in the 21st century. Handy argues that Tocqueville would be much more impressed with America's enduring capitalism than with its well-established tradition of democracy. He begins the article discussing Tocqueville’s original intention in coming to America, to publish a book on prisons, and how he also took an interest in the subject of democracy after completing his book on the American prison system. Handy goes on to argue that, today, Tocqueville would be more impressed with America’s well-established tradition of democracy than capitalism, and reflects on how Karl Marx’s prediction that capitalism would inevitably lead to the rise of socialism has been proven false, given that socialist parties in the U.S. have never been popular. He then considers the drawbacks of American capitalism and democracy, given the U.S. history of slavery and denial of rights to women, and whether a capitalism that evolved from a property-owning democracy can now function stably in a dematerialized world, where access and experience count more than things. Handy then launches into a discussion of the U.S.’s Puritan history, arguing that the Puritan heritage, along with the American people’s sense of optimism, is what has contributed to the country’s prosperity, and declares that the traditions of the Puritans are alive and well in America today. The positive attitude that Handy reflects upon can be translated into Four I’s--information, incentive, investment, and innovation--which Americans believe will help them lead the way into the future....

Record Contributed By

Claremont Colleges Library

Record Harvested From

California Digital Library