Tocqueville, Lasch, and the Tyranny of the Individual

In the second volume of Democracy of America, Tocqueville warns us of several tendencies latent in American society, namely individualism, secularism, and materialism. These tendencies, in his view, threaten to replace democratic self-rule with despotic self-absorption. 139 years later, Christopher Lasch ostensibly confirmed Tocqueville’s fears in his Culture of Narcissism, which describes an America plagued by economic anxiety, widespread distrust, and insatiable desire. Where is freedom to be found today? How ought we escape isolation and hyperindividualism? This August, join us as we explore Tocqueville and Lasch’s insights into America’s social ills and their potential remedies. 

The reading group will begin on Friday, August 4, at 12 PM, with subsequent sessions on the 11th and the 18th at the same time of day. The scheduled Tocqueville readings are listed below; feel free to use any edition of Democracy in America you like. Relevant Lasch excerpts will be sent out a week in advance of each session.

Schedule

• Friday, August 4: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II: Part 1, Chapter 2; Part II, Chapters 1-2; _and Part 3, Chapters 18-19

• Friday, August 11: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II: Part 1, Chapter 8 and Part II, Chapters 8-9, 13, 15, 17

• Friday, August 18: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II: Part 4, Chapters 3, 6-8