If you follow politics or the news, America is a country of
culture wars and great divides, a partisan place of red states and
blue states, of us against them. From pundits to politicians it
seems that anyone with an audience sees a polarized country - a
country at war with itself.
In a radical departure from this "conventional wisdom," Carl
Anderson explores what the talking heads have missed: an
overwhelming American consensus on many of the country''s seemingly
most divisive issues. If the debates are shrill in public, he says,
there is a quiet consensus in private - one that America''s
institutions ignore at their peril. From health care, to the role
of religion in America, to abortion, to the importance of
traditional ethics in business and society, Anderson uses fresh
polling data and keen insight in BEYOND A HOUSE DIVIDEDto
show that a surprising consensus has emerged despite these debates.
He sheds light on what''s been missing in the public and political
debates of the last several years: the consensus that isn''t hard to
find if you know where to look.
For Anderson, allowing polar opposites to drive the discussion has
made the resolution of contentious issues impossible. Instead, he
says, we should look to the consensus among Americans as the best
prospect for a beneficial conclusion.
關於作者:
As Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A.
Anderson is the CEO and chairman of the board of the world’s
largest Catholic fraternal service organization, with more than 1.7
million members. He is the author or co-author of four books – two
of which have been New York Times best-sellers. In the decade since
Anderson assumed the responsibilities of Supreme Knight in 2000,
the Knights of Columbus have achieved new heights in charitable
giving. During that time, the Knights have donated $1.4 billion
directly to charity, while volunteering 640 million hours to
charitable causes. A member of the bar of the District of Columbia,
he and his wife Dorian are the parents of five children.