The Persistence of Racism in America

by Powell, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780819185877
• ISBN10: 0819185876
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1992-02-26
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

Why have racist attitudes persisted in America despite tremendous changes in education and socialization during the last four decades? In this book, Thomas Powell explains the patterns of beliefs, attitudes, and values that have supported these views. In a broad exploration that analyzes the values expressed by Western thinkers from the Enlightenment to contemporary thought, Powell reaches the controversial conclusion that racism is linked to many of our most cherished social, political, and religious values.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Subject of Racism	p. 1
In the Times of English Exploration and Colonization	p. 9
Reconciling Slavery with Christianity	p. 15
The Enlightenment	p. 21
Human Nature in the Enlightenment	p. 27
Pursuit of Happiness: Utilitarian Individualism	p. 33
Natural Rights and Self-Evident Truth	p. 39
Equality of Opportunity as an Ideal	p. 45
Liberal Individualism and Equality	p. 51
The Yeoman Ideal and the Frontier	p. 59
Biological Determinism	p. 67
The Quantification of Difference	p. 73
Social Darwinism and Individualist Competition	p. 77
Enlightened Self-Interest	p. 89
Race Ideology and Expansionism	p. 97
Intelligence and Eugenics	p. 105
Scholarly and Christian Racism	p. 111
Democratic and Progressive Racism	p. 117
Pragmatic Individualism	p. 123
Pragmatic Truth and the Concept of Deserving	p. 129
Instrumentalism	p. 137
Ethical Naturalism	p. 145
The Canon of Character	p. 149
New Thought: From Character to Mind-Set	p. 153
New Thought and Psychology	p. 155
New Thought and Success: Mind Over Matter	p. 159
Mind Cure: From Character to Personality	p. 163
Self-Improvement	p. 169
The Persistence of Romanticism	p. 173
Asserting Autonomy: the "Free Agent"	p. 179
Liberal Economic and Political Individualism	p. 185
Modernism Reshapes Liberalism	p. 193
The Limits of Liberal Reform	p. 201
Free Will and Determinism	p. 205
Behaviorism and Individualism	p. 211
That Old-Time Religion	p. 219
Will-Power After Modernism	p. 227
Individualist Ethical Theory	p. 235
Individualism and Justice	p. 241
Individualist Ethics: A Further Note on Justice	p. 251
Moral Subjectivism	p. 255
Self-Referential Validation	p. 261
Egoism	p. 267
Pragmatic Individualism's Therapeutic Appeal	p. 271
Believing What Helps	p. 277
Be What You Want to Be, Do What You Want to Do	p. 281
An American Way: Individualism Beyond Commitment	p. 287
Self-Importance: Individualism without Individuality	p. 291
Individualism and Racism	p. 299
A Note on the Future of Racism	p. 305
Selected Bibliography	p. 311
Index of Names	p. 329
Index of Subjects	p. 335
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.