For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment In America Today by Jedidiah Purdy Knopf / 1999 / Hardcover

[J. Purdy] persuasively argues the necessity and satisfactions of social and political reengagement and of renewed attention to "the common things" we all have a stake in: the environment, education, culture, law and government. Drawing on a wide range of sources - from Thoreau to Seinfeld - he contemplates such as the use of irony in public culture, the breakdown of our political processes, and the moral and legal dilemmas posed by technological advances. In these and other discussions, he lures us away from disbelief and detachment toward a sincere devotion to the healing and betterment of society. (from the dustjacket).