Pessimism

208 Pages·1988·33.591 MB·English

by  Joe Bailey

PESSIMISM

PESSIMISM
JOE BAILEY
Routledge
LONDON & NEW YORK
First published in 1988 by
Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Published in the USA by
Routledge Inc.
in association with Methuen Inc,.
29 West35thStreet, New York N Y 10001
Set in Plantin Light
by Pentacor Ltd
High Wycombe, Bucks
and printed in Great Britain
by T.J. Press (Padstow) Ltd
Padstow, Cornwall
©Joe Bailey 1988
No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form without permission from the publisher
except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism
Library of Confess Cataloging in Publication Data
Bailey, Joe.
Pessimism!Joe Bailey.
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Pessimism. 2. Social movements. I. Title.
IIM291 .B221988
302.5—dcl9 87-15756
CIP
British Library CIP Data also available
ISBN 041500247 8(c)
ISBN 0415 00248 6 (pb)
CONTENTS
Preface and acknowledgments vii
1 A new sense of danger 1
2 The social state of mind 9
Social consciousness and state of mind 9
Locations of the social state of mind:
the psychological and the social 13
Image and the social state of mind 19
3 The concept of pessimism 23
Pessimism in social thought 24
Sociology and pessimism 31
4 The end of progress 39
The importance of the idea of progress 44
The socialisation of progress 46
The end of progress? 50
5 Utopias 55
The significance of utopias 56
Forms of utopia 57
The functions of utopia 60
Objections to utopia 63
The fading of utopias 67
New utopias 70
6 Futures 77
Forecasting in general 78
The implications of recent forecasting 84
Time and control 90
The future now 93
7 The main danger: nuclear war 96
The nuclear arms race 98
The dimensions of the danger of nuclear war 103
Deterrence 113
8 More dangers:
food and nuclear energy
121
‘The environment’ as important 123
Food 129
Energy 134
9 New movements? 144
New social movements 147
Progress and value change 150
A source of change? 153
Conclusion 159
Notes 162
Index 185