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Daniel Bell
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The Cultural Contradictions Of Capitalism Paperback – Special Edition, October 18, 1996

by Daniel Bell (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
See all formats and editions
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With a new afterword by the author, this classic analysis of Western liberal capitalist society contends that capitalism—and the culture it creates—harbors the seeds of its own downfall by creating a need among successful people for personal gratification—a need that corrodes the work ethic that led to their success in the first place. With the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new world order, this provocative manifesto is more relevant than ever.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    399 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 18, 1996
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0465014992
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0465014996
  7. Lexile measure
    1380L
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since its original publication in 1976, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism has been hailed as an intellectual tour de force that redefines how we think about the relationship among econmomics, culture, and social change. Daniel Bell, the author of such other modern classics as The End of Ideology and The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, argues that the unbounded drive of modern capitalism undermines the moral foundations of the original Protestant ethic that ushered in capitalism itself. In a major new afterword, Bell offers a bracing perspective on contemporary Western society, from the end of the Cold War to the rise and fall of postmodernism, revealing the crucial cultural fault lines we face as the twenty-first century approaches.

About the Author


Daniel Bell is the Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences Emeritus at Harvard University and Scholar-in-Residence at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of editor of 17 books, two of which, The End of Ideology and The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, were listed among the 100 Most Influential Books since the Second World War (TLS, October 1995).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Special Edition (October 18, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 399 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465014992
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465014996
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1380L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

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Daniel Bell

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
36 global ratings
The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
1 Star
The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
The kindle version of this book is not properly done.1. The afterword, which is mentioned on the book cover, is not included.2. Almost every page is not properly copied,. The upper half of the page is cut even not showing the entire line and the lower half is scaled smaller.Please redo the kindle version of this book as soon as possible and notify me about the new kindle version.
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Top reviews from the United States

Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
He thought about issues in the 1970s that are affecting the country now. Great perspective on a relative topic because he explains the intuitive/historial thinking or the problem, rather than just the current economic situation
One person found this helpful
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phillip murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2015
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great book
One person found this helpful
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Gerald L Twitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars but better if an economics major
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015
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Had to read with a dictionary in hand...very scholarly, but better if an economics major.
5 people found this helpful
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Defenestrate
3.0 out of 5 stars Annoying writing, disagreeable argument
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2007
Verified Purchase
In the Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, Daniel Bell argues that modernism has reached a point of crisis, and that the values that supported capitalism are going to disappear.

I don't like his argument. He uses a concept of "culture" that is foreign to me-- high art, music, and so forth. His concept of culture is not "the common way of life of a people" or the shared systems of meaning that people have developed. His cultural conservatism and Chicken-little end-of-days hectoring are not convincing. After all, he, if I recall correctly, says that the Beatles are "degenerate." There probably has been some sort of change in the human experience due to rapid cultural change since the industrial revolution, but I don't think he captures it.

But even if I loved his argument, I would hate the ponderous, slow, meandering way that he wrote this work. It does not flow together like a straightforward essay; in fact, the chapters are sort of a pastiche. I suspect that the later chapters were published elsewhere in a different form, and then pasted into the book hastily. In general, he uses language as a weapon to bludgeon the reader instead of to help him or her. I should have to jump from a very tall building were I to find myself writing in his style.

It's an important work, I suppose, to be aware of, for how often it's been cited, but there's little pleasure to be gained from the words and the argument. Contemporary academic reviewers of Bell's work had the same opinion; perhaps someone who likes Dr. Bell's work should write a six-hundred page essay explaining how the negative reviews show the collapse of human morality. Except for such fans, I think few of us would profit from reading this work.
47 people found this helpful
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judith woodrd
5.0 out of 5 stars Cultural Contradictionsof Captalism
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
He put a perspectivee on the historical aspects of several diciplines,whichmade them all havea new perspective for me. I enjoyed it.
3 people found this helpful
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David Eberle
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2017
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Great
One person found this helpful
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William S Jamison
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic that others today continue to cite
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019
This seems familiar so I think I read it before years ago but checked out again as contemporary books cite it when they discuss the same issues using updated vocabulary. Things that are different now include After Piketty since the economy has become normalized. Not something Bell predicted. Now wealth is divided between the haves and the have nots in a way that eclipses the bourgeois. But over all it is interesting to see what insights Bell had and how they have essentially continued.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
The kindle version of this book is not properly done.
1. The afterword, which is mentioned on the book cover, is not included.
2. Almost every page is not properly copied,. The upper half of the page is cut even not showing the entire line and the lower half is scaled smaller.
Please redo the kindle version of this book as soon as possible and notify me about the new kindle version.
Customer image
Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023
The kindle version of this book is not properly done.
1. The afterword, which is mentioned on the book cover, is not included.
2. Almost every page is not properly copied,. The upper half of the page is cut even not showing the entire line and the lower half is scaled smaller.
Please redo the kindle version of this book as soon as possible and notify me about the new kindle version.
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Top reviews from other countries

Rock Feilding-Mellen
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating unpicking of the relationship between modernism and capitalism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Amazing to think that this critique is over 40 years old and still feels remarkably relevant, especially his description of the “culterati” and their apparent hypocrisy.
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