Unruly Voices: Essays on Democracy, Civility and the Human Imagination

(Paperback)

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Accessible, entertaining, anecdotal. A good introduction to issues in contemporary civics as well as a measured and thoughtful response to major themes and figures in cultural studies.
Civility in politics is a subject throughout, and analyses of both Obama's rhetoric and the use of lowest-common-denominator insults in public debate will be well-timed going into the 2012 election campaign
Not just formal essays: some are dialogues, some personal meditations, some direct addresses to famous figures. Variety helps keep the collection entertaining.

Reviews

"Examining such social and existential issues as the role of luck in accumulating political or other power and the way that "desirable objects" reinforce a sense of "class superiority," Kingwell ranges far and wide. He cites not only to such philosophers as Plato, Heidegger, and Rawls, but also to such writers as Melville and literary critics such as Northrop Frye, not to mention such cinematic cult classics as Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ... he is a perceptive and imaginative social critic."--Publishers Weekly "This broad-minded collection of essays carries its own anecdote. As Kingwell writes in his introduction, it is philosophy, along with poetry and art, that has the extraordinary power to 'expand our ethical imaginations.' A robust democracy will need both ground rules for civil discourse and citizens with imagination enough to understand the stakes of the game."--The Rumpus "Unruly Voices has insightful things to say about the corrupting influence of money on public discourse, including reference to the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial 2010 Citizens United ruling, which granted corporations the same right as people to free speech ... The scourge of incivility might not be new, but it is more pervasive. And, as Kingwell warns, the cost to coherent debate is great."--National Post (Canada) PRAISE FOR MARK KINGWELL "Illuminates on almost every page."--The Los Angeles Times "An original approach to where we are as a civilization."--The Washington Post "The writing is elegant, often poetic. It appeals to the thoughtful reader who thrives on insights into the way humans interact."--The Globe & Mail "Smoothly splicing together personal narrative, philosophical inquiry and historical analysis, frequent Harper's contributor [Mark] Kingwell ... wears his learning lightly."--Publishers' Weekly

Author Bio

Mark Kingwell is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, a contributing editor for Harper's Magazine, and has written for publications ranging from Adbusters and the New York Times to the Journal of Philosophy and Auto Racing Digest. Among his twelve books of political and cultural theory are the Canadian best-sellers Better Living, The World We Want, and Concrete Reveries. In order to secure financing for their continued indulgence he has also written about his various hobbies, including fishing, baseball, cocktails, and contemporary art.