First published 2010
America confronts a cultural conflict unlike previous battles over social issues. Arthur Brooks argues this struggle centers on economic philosophy rather than guns, abortion, or gay rights. The real fight pits entrepreneurial capitalism against expanding social democracy. Brooks contends that many Americans have lost sight of socialism's dangers and forgotten how Great Society welfare programs damaged the nation. He warns that social democratic forces have regrouped and now seek to grow state power dramatically. The American Enterprise Institute president presents this as a fundamental clash between free market principles and government control. Brooks offers strategies to defend entrepreneurial culture, which he views as America's foundation. He reframes the political divide between conservative and liberal worldviews as primarily economic rather than cultural. The author positions this contest as a battle for America's identity and future direction.
Genres: business, american, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: ideological-clash
Setting: America
Period: 21st-century
174 pages · Hardcover · Basic Books