首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be. Such consensus ca
What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be. Such consensus ca
admin
2015-02-12
41
问题
What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be. Such consensus cannot be gained from society’s present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be. For that the present is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims about it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homer’s epics(史诗)informed those who lived centuries later what it meant to be Greek, and by what images and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies.
Most societies derive consensus from a long history, a language all their own, a common religion, common ancestry. The myths by which they live are based on all of these. But the United States is a country of immigrants, coming from a great variety of nations. Lately, it has been emphasized that an asocial, narcissistic(自我陶醉的)personality has become characteristic of Americans, and that it is this type of personality that makes for the lack of well-being, because it prevents us from achieving consensus that would counteract a tendency to withdraw into private worlds. In his study of narcissism, Christopher Lasch says that modern man, "tortured by self-consciousness, turns to new therapies not to free himself of his personal worries but to find meaning and purpose in life, to find something to live for". There is widespread distress because national morale has declined, and we have lost an earlier sense of national vision and purpose.
Contrary to rigid religions or political beliefs, as are found in totalitarian(极权主义的)societies, our culture is one of great individual differences, at least in principle and in theory. But this leads to disunity, even chaos. Americans believe in the value of diversity, but just because ours is a society based on individual diversity, it needs consensus about some dominating ideas more than societies based on uniform origin of their citizens. Hence, if we are to have consensus, it must be based on a myth —a vision — about a common experience, a conquest that made us Americans, as the myth about the conquest of Troy formed the Greeks. Only a common myth can offer relief from the fear that life is without meaning or purpose. Myths permit us to examine our place in the world by comparing it to a shared idea. Myths are shared fantasies that form the tie that binds the individual to other members of his group. Such myths help to ward off feelings of isolation, guilt, anxiety, and purposelessness — in short; they combat isolation and the breakdown of social standards and values.
The asocial personality of Americans results from______.
选项
A、the multiracial constituents of the US society
B、the absence of a common religion and ancestry
C、the want of shared myths they possess in life
D、the obstruction of achieving a general agreement
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/v8h7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Lookinginfromabroad,muchoftheworldhashistoricallybeenbaffledbyAmerica’sgunlaws.Innoothercountrycanamentall
WriteacompositionentitledMyViewonthePost-graduateCraze.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsaccordingtotheoutlinegi
Iaskedsuccessfulpeoplewhatthesecretoftheirsuccesswas.I【B1】______anearlydiscussionwithavicepresidentofalarge
A、13million.B、30million.C、14million.D、40million.B细节题。文中说图书馆有超过三千万本书画册。
A、Whenheispleased.B、Whenhegrowsup.C、Whenhegetsangry.D、Whenhehearsotherbabycrying.B事实细节题。文中提到,Asthechildgrow
Businessesarestructuredindifferentwaystomeetdifferentneeds.The【B1】______formofbusinessiscalledanindividualpropr
A、Attherestaurant.B、Atthebusstation.C、Atthetravelagency.D、Atthelaundry.C场景推断题。男士说自己对对方导游的服务质量的投诉石沉大海;女士解释说员工可能是因为太
Advertisementsappeareverywhereinmodernsociety.Therearemanywaystoadvertiseandadscomeindifferentforms.Newspapers
A、2.5million.B、2.8billion.C、60million.D、60billion.B选项的内容表明,本题考查数字,听音时应留意与数字相关的信息。短文中提到,Britishpeopleeat2.8billionea
A、Camperslearntocookfoodforthemselves.B、Horsesplayacentralroleintheactivities.C、Horselessonsareofferedallthe
随机试题
在休克期,又称可逆性失代偿期,微循环出现淤血,病人出现休克的典型症状。()
四物汤的组成药味有()。
某男性,30岁,近二周前牙咀嚼疼痛,且牙龈肿胀有脓液流出,二年前该牙曾因龋坏而疼痛,未曾治疗。检查:残冠,近中邻面探及深龋洞,牙变色,叩诊有不适感,唇侧牙龈见一瘘管,有脓液溢出,X线片显示根尖有阴影。以下均是增强桩冠固位的方法,除外()
接收投标文件和开标前后两个环节,检查投标文件的密封情况应当依次分别由()负责。[2011年真题]
国家信用是国家(政府)以()身份筹集资金的一种信用形式。
公民认为具体行政行为侵犯其合法权益的,可以自知道该具体行政行为之日起()日内提出行政复议申请。
根据以下资料,回答问题。2011年第4季度,我国网上银行市场交易金额为209.91万亿,环比增长5.2%,2011年,网上银行市场全年交易金额为780.94万亿,同比增长42.1%,截至2011年年底,我国个人网上银行用户数达到4.34亿。2011
教师的教育情感主要表现在哪些方面?
历史向世界历史的转变,是人类历史发展进程中的重要转变。此前世界处于相对隔绝状态下的国家发展传统模式将被彻底打破,从此,任何国家和民族都必须在参加普遍交往和国际竞争中求得生存和发展。也就是说,愈来愈多的民族、国家和地区间的闭塞或半隔绝状态被打破,世界逐渐连成
Thetaskofbeingacceptedandenrolledinauniversitybeginsearlyforsomestudents.Long(1)_____theygraduatefromhighsc
最新回复
(
0
)