p46 books
William Leith4 October 2012
The Price of Civilization
by Jeffrey Sachs
(Vintage, £9.99)
We’re having a crisis, says the economist Jeffrey Sachs. It’s economic. But, underneath, it’s moral. We have lost something he calls “civic virtue”. He’s talking about America but also the Western world in general. We’re not treating each other with respect, he says. We don’t trust each other so much any more. That’s because we’re not so trustworthy any more. He points out several things we knew but packages them nicely. The rich are getting richer. Most of us are not. The free market has some problems. Politicians are not so different from each other any more. And we are a society of addicts — always wanting more, whether it’s borrowed money, food, or entertainment.
