September 01, 2000
Rebuilding community in America: moving beyond irony and cynicism
Author Jedediah Purdy will join the Center for Ethics February 15-16 for a discussion of his new book, For Common Things: Irony, Trust and Commitment in America Today.
Purdy hopes to reinvent enthusiasm as a value for public life and personal commitment. He stands in opposition to the ironic attitudes identified with “Gen X,” seeking to lessen what he sees as an ironic detachment and cynicism that suffocates interest in embracing "common things"—environment, education, culture, law and government. Purdy believes this detachment is due mainly to media influence—particularly shows like Seinfeld and publications like Wired Magazine.
Purdy was raised almost completely detached from pop-culture on a hillside farm in Chloe, West Virginia, where he was home educated until age 14. He avidly read classics and learned from the land. After completing high school, he spent a year working in environmental politics, dividing his time between policy and community work.
Purdy attended college at Harvard and since finishing his degree has published his first book, For Common Things: Irony, Trust and Commitment in America Today. The book has met with as much controversy and question as it has critical acclaim. He regularly writes essays on culture and politics for The American Prospect. He is currently attending Yale, where he is studying law, environment, and social values.
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