Books by "G. William Domhoff"

6 books found

America's Sociopathic Leadership

America's Sociopathic Leadership

by Jerome G. Manis

2008 · Xlibris Corporation

Websters Dictionary traces "sociopathic" usage to 1944, defining it as "characterized by asocial or antisocial behavior, or a psychopathic nature. "Sociopathy" is used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM). Especially notable and and influential has been Adam Smith. His first book was entitled The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Its first chapter was on "sympathy." The first few lines of its first paragraph are quite different from the modern economists image of Adam Smith. To Mona Charen, "Liberals have hurt the poor, to be sure. But they are also engaged in a long-term guerrilla war on Americas soul." 21st century capitalism differs enormously from its 18th century predecessor--ascetic capitalism. Abstinence, austerity, frugality. spirituality, and virtue play scant part in the higher levels of contemporary successful capitalists. Milton Friedmans 1970 article in the New York Times makes clear his view of business: "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits."Throughout the article he made clear that "only people can have responsibilities" while business can have no other purpose than to "increase its profits." The 14th amendment. enacted for the protection of freed slaves, was then used as a precedent for defining a corporation as a "natural person." Since then, the courts have struck down hundreds of laws protecting citizens from corporations. Millions of severe illnesses and deaths are the result of deliberate actions by the chief executives of the tobacco industry. Are they not sociopathic leaders, as well their major stockholders? The Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group, published in 2003 by Dan Briody, demonstrates where military, industry, and government have finally been unified.

Imagining the American Polity

Imagining the American Polity

by John G. Gunnell

2024 · State University of New York Press

Traces the history of the concept of democracy in the United States. Americans have long prided themselves on living in a country that serves as a beacon of democracy to the world, but from the time of the founding they have also engaged in debates over what the criteria for democracy are as they seek to validate their faith in the United States as a democratic regime. In this book John G. Gunnell shows how the academic discipline of political science has contributed in a major way to this ongoing dialogue, thereby playing a significant role in political education and the formulation of popular conceptions of American democracy. Gunnell traces the dynamics of conceptual change and continuity as American political science evolved from a focus in the nineteenth century on the idea of the state, through the emergence of a pluralist theory of democracy in the 1920s and its transfiguration into liberalism in the mid- 1930s, up to the rearticulation of pluralist theory in the 1950s and its resurgence, yet again, in the 1990s. Along the way he explores how political scientists have grappled with a fundamental question about popular sovereignty: Does democracy require a people and a national democratic community, or can the requisites of democracy be achieved through fortuitous social configurations coupled with the design of certain institutional mechanisms?

Psychology in Everyday Life

Psychology in Everyday Life

by David G. Myers

2008 · Macmillan

LEARN IT. LIVE IT. Why take psychology? What makes psychology a science? Can it really help me understand my feelings and behaviors? Or how I get along with family and friends? Now from the world's foremost author for the introductory psychology classroom comes a new textbook that makes learning about the psychology of our lives a captivating experience for students at all levels. Carried by the author's acclaimed empathetic voice, Psychology in Everyday Life is David Myers' most inviting text to date. This new book represents a breakthrough in the interplay of text and visuals, yet, as always, provides a rich source of scientific insights into the lives we live. Any student, regardless of age or background, will find it a text that speaks directly to him or her, and will embrace it not just for its grade-raising potential, but for its revelations about what makes a person a stronger student, a more tuned-in friend or partner, a more effective worker, or a wiser parent.

The Case Against Bureaucratic Discretion

The Case Against Bureaucratic Discretion

by Steven G. Koven

2019 · Springer

This book explores contemporary and historical examples of bureaucratic discretion to describe a continuum of resistance to authoritative directives by hierarchical superiors. Resistance ranges from blind obedience or complete nonresistance to street-level opposition; in between these extremes, however, are minimal compliance and resistance sanctioned by immediate superiors. Although politicians may pass legislation, the subject of bureaucratic implementation or lack thereof remains an area of vital concern. Grounded in administrative theory (beginning with Woodrow Wilson’s seminal discussion of the virtue of adopting a businesslike approach to American governing) and emphasizing the power of street-level bureaucrats, the aim of this book is to expand awareness of the potentially dangerous power of insulated bureaucrats.

Critique of the Legal Order

Critique of the Legal Order

by Richard Quinney, Randall G. Shelden

2018 · Routledge

Originally published thirty years ago, Critique of the Legal Order remains highly relevant for the twenty-first century. Here Richard Quinney provides a critical look at the legal order in capitalist society. Using a traditional Marxist perspective, he argues that the legal order is not intended to reduce crime and suffering, but to maintain class differences and a social order that mainly benefits the ruling class. Quinney challenges modern criminologists to examine their own positions. As "ancillary agents of power," criminologists provide information that governing elites use to manipulate and control those who threaten the system. Quinney's original and thorough analysis of "crime control bureaucracies" and the class basis of such bureaucracies anticipates subsequent research and theorizing about the "crime control industry," a system that aims at social control of marginalized populations, rather than elimination of the social conditions that give rise to crime. He forcefully argues that technology applied to a "war against crime," together with academic scholarship, is used to help maintain social order to benefit a ruling class. Quinney also suggests alternatives. Anticipating the work of Noam Chomsky, he suggests we must first overcome a powerful media that provides a "general framework" that serves as the "boundary of expression." Chomsky calls this the manufacture of consent by providing necessary illusions. Quinney calls for a critical philosophy that enables us to transcend the current order and seek an egalitarian socialist order based upon true democratic principles. This core study for criminologists should interest those with a critical perspective on contemporary society.

Barack Obama and Twenty-First-Century Politics

Barack Obama and Twenty-First-Century Politics

by Horace G. Campbell

2010 · Pluto Books

Barack Obama has been called a transformative and transcendental political figure, this book shows us just how significant the movement behind him was in reshaping the politics of the United States. Horace Campbell examines the networks that made the 2009 electoral victory possible and discusses the importance of self-organization and self-emancipation in politics. Developing a theory of politics that starts with the humanist principles of Ubuntu, and draws in ecological, spiritual, anti-racist and anti-sexist principles, Campbell suggests we move away from old forms of vanguardism, reconceptualising political organisation, and recognising that new social forces are at play.