The One and the Many : America's Struggle for the Common Good (The Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lecture on American Civilization and Government)

By Martin E. Marty

Book Overview

E pluribus unum no longer holds. Out of the many have come as many claims and grievances, all at war with the idea of one nation undivided. The damage thus done to our national life, as too few Americans seek a common good, is Martin Marty's concern. His book is an urgent call for repair and a personal testament toward resolution.

A world-renowned authority on religion and ethics in America, Marty gives a judicious account (itself a rarity and a relief in our day of uncivil discourse) of how the body politic has been torn between the imperative of one people, one voice, and the separate urgings of distinct identities--racial, ethnic, religious, gendered, ideological, economic. Foreseeing an utter deadlock in public life, with devastating consequences, if this continues, he envisions steps we might take to carry America past the new turbulence.

While the grand story of oneness eludes us (and probably always will), Marty reminds us that we do have a rich, ever-growing, and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols, histories, and, most of all, stories on which to draw. He pictures these stories, with their diverse interpretations, as part of a conversation that crosses the boundaries of groups. Where argument polarizes and deafens, conversation is open ended, guided by questions, allowing for inventiveness, fair play, and dignity for all. It serves as a medium in Marty's broader vision, which replaces the restrictive, difficult, and perhaps unattainable ideal of "community" with the looser, more workable idea of "association."

An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067463828X
• ISBN13: 9780674638280
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

THE ROMANTIC NOTION OF AN IDEALIST

Below is a review of the One And The Many America's Struggle for the Common Good by Martin Marty. In the first section of the book, Marty presents the case of the "traumatization" of American society. Arguing that the manner in which different groups of people relate to each other destroys the concept of the one, Marty goes on to show how diverse group's need for identity is both necessary and destructive. The author asks several good questions during his initial discourse. How can groups remain respectful? How can they co-exist without shattering the illusion (my word) of unity that pervades our ethos as "One Nation Under God?" He continues to build a case from the thesis, "Trauma occurs as each group insists on its own identity and by promoting a mutually exclusive subculture at the expense of the common weal." Marty's pedagogical commitment is experienced as he attempts to define his use of certain language that he correctly assumes might not be common lingo for the reader. The book certainly provides thought provoking conversation and leads to continue study of the subject of America as a Nation State. Who are we? . . . (Property of the writer)

Brilliant But Short On Answers

Prof. Marty's book is a profound synthesis of the essential problem of America: how to unite our diverging cultures and interests into something common to all. Marty gives respect to the varied 'stories' that he speaks of and encourages us all to listen more to each of them. While I agree that listening is a good start, do not expect more tangible answers from The One and the Many. Such is the nature of the problem and this book. Overall, an excellent effort by an established scholar.