Dark Age Ahead

In this indispensable book, Jane Jacobs - renowned author of "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" and "The Eocnomy of Cities" - convincingly argues that as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future, we stand on the brick of a new dark age, a period of cultural collapse. Jacobs pintpoints five pillars of our culture that are in serious decay: community and family, higher education, the effective practice of science, taxation and government, and the self-regulation of the learned professions. The corrosion of these pillars, Jacobs argue, is linked to societal ills such as the environmental crisis, racism, and the growing gulf between rich and poor.

But this is a hopeful book as well as a warning. Drawing on her vast frame of reference - from fifteenth-century Chinese shipbuilding to Ireland´s cultural rebirth - Jacobs suggests how the cycles of decay can be arrested and our way of life renewed. Invigorating and acessible, "Dark Age Ahead" is not only a major achievement, but also one of the most important works of our time.

Arquitetura e Decoração / Economia, Finanças / Não-ficção / Política / Sociologia