The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World
Winner of the Zócalo Book Prize A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
“Combines powerful moral arguments with superb storytelling.” —New Statesman
What moral values do we hold in common? As globalization draws us together economically, are the things we value converging or diverging? These twin questions led Michael Ignatieff to embark on a three-year, eight-nation journey in search of an answer. What we share, he found, are what he calls “ordinary virtues”: tolerance, forgiveness, trust, and resilience. When conflicts break out, these virtues are easily exploited by the politics of fear and exclusion, reserved for one’s own group but denied to others. Yet these ordinary virtues are the key to healing and reconciliation on both a local and global scale.
“Makes for illuminating reading.” —Simon Winchester, New York Review of Books
“Engaging, articulate and richly descriptive… Ignatieff’s deft histories, vivid sketches and fascinating interviews are the soul of this important book.” —Times Literary Supplement
“Deserves praise for wrestling with the devolution of our moral worlds over recent decades.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
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The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World
Winner of the Zócalo Book Prize A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
“Combines powerful moral arguments with superb storytelling.” —New Statesman
What moral values do we hold in common? As globalization draws us together economically, are the things we value converging or diverging? These twin questions led Michael Ignatieff to embark on a three-year, eight-nation journey in search of an answer. What we share, he found, are what he calls “ordinary virtues”: tolerance, forgiveness, trust, and resilience. When conflicts break out, these virtues are easily exploited by the politics of fear and exclusion, reserved for one’s own group but denied to others. Yet these ordinary virtues are the key to healing and reconciliation on both a local and global scale.
“Makes for illuminating reading.” —Simon Winchester, New York Review of Books
“Engaging, articulate and richly descriptive… Ignatieff’s deft histories, vivid sketches and fascinating interviews are the soul of this important book.” —Times Literary Supplement
“Deserves praise for wrestling with the devolution of our moral worlds over recent decades.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
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The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World
Winner of the Zócalo Book Prize A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
“Combines powerful moral arguments with superb storytelling.” —New Statesman
What moral values do we hold in common? As globalization draws us together economically, are the things we value converging or diverging? These twin questions led Michael Ignatieff to embark on a three-year, eight-nation journey in search of an answer. What we share, he found, are what he calls “ordinary virtues”: tolerance, forgiveness, trust, and resilience. When conflicts break out, these virtues are easily exploited by the politics of fear and exclusion, reserved for one’s own group but denied to others. Yet these ordinary virtues are the key to healing and reconciliation on both a local and global scale.
“Makes for illuminating reading.” —Simon Winchester, New York Review of Books
“Engaging, articulate and richly descriptive… Ignatieff’s deft histories, vivid sketches and fascinating interviews are the soul of this important book.” —Times Literary Supplement
“Deserves praise for wrestling with the devolution of our moral worlds over recent decades.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
Michael Ignatieff is Rector and President of Central European University in Budapest and former Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Table of Contents
Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction: Moral Globalization and Its Discontents 1. Jackson Heights, New York: Diversity Plaza 2. Los Angeles: The Moral Operating Systems of Global Cities 3. Rio de Janeiro: Order, Corruption, and Public Trust 4. Bosnia: War and Reconciliation 5. Myanmar: The Politics of Moral Narrative 6. Fukushima: Resilience and the Unimaginable 7. South Africa: After the Rainbow Conclusion: Human Rights, Global Ethics, and the Ordinary Virtues Notes Acknowledgments Index
