Author : Vladimir Shlapentokh
Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9781403973894
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (738 download)
Book Synopsis Fear in Contemporary Society by : Vladimir Shlapentokh
Download or read book Fear in Contemporary Society written by Vladimir Shlapentokh and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2006-09-17 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary social science avoids the discussion of fear as a major element of social life and as a factor that shapes social order and the quality of life. The author wants to fill this lacuna. The fear of punishments for violating the laws imposed by the state and other social institutions, such as the family, public opinion, the church and others, are useful for the maintenance order in society. The author's views oppose the mainstream of American social science, which is hostile toward coercion and the state in general, and sees social order as based only on the allegiance of the individual to the dominant culture and self-regulation. Pointing to the flaws of these views, which are mostly based on the Lockean-Parsonian tradition, as well as on the postmodern perspective, the author proposes that the Hobbesian viewpoint be included in social analysis. He assumes that social order is shaped not only from "below," but also from "above" with the state as a positive agent.