Institutions provide procedures through which human conduct is patterned, compelled to go, in grooves deemed desirable by society. And this trick is performed by making these grooves appear to the individual as the only possible ones. Peter L. Berger More Quotes by Peter L. Berger More Quotes From Peter L. Berger The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it has lost a lot of religious substance Peter L. Berger substance religious america Some people think that as the Chinese economy becomes more and more capitalistic it will inevitably become more democratic Peter L. Berger chinese people thinking An economy oriented toward production for market exchange provides the optimal conditions for long-lasting and ever-expanding productive capacity based on modern technology. Peter L. Berger modern technology long There are times in history when the dark drums of God can barely be heard amid the noises of this world. Then it is only in moments of silence, which are rare and brief, that their beat can be faintly discerned. There are other times. These are the times when God is heard in rolling thunder, when the earth trembles and the treetops bend under the force of [God’s] voice. It is not given to men [and women] to make God speak. It is only given to them to live and to think in such a way that, if God’s thunder should come, they will not have stopped their ears. Peter L. Berger dark men thinking Even in a society as tightly controlled as Singapore's, the market creates certain forces which perhaps in the long run may lead to democracy Peter L. Berger democracy running long The negative side to globalization is that it wipes out entire economic systems and in doing so wipes out the accompanying culture Peter L. Berger economic-globalization culture negative We also have a cultural phenomenon: the emergence of a global culture, or of cultural globalization Peter L. Berger globalization phenomenon culture In a market economy, however, the individual has some possibility of escaping from the power of the state Peter L. Berger escaping economy individual If you say simply that pressures toward democracy are created by the market, I would say yes Peter L. Berger democracy ifs pressure When certain branches of the economy become obsolete, as in the case of the steel industry, not only do jobs disappear, which is obviously a terrible social hardship, but certain cultures also disappear. Peter L. Berger steel jobs culture One can't understand the Christian Right and similar movements unless one sees them as reactive - they're reacting to what they call secular humanism Peter L. Berger reacting movement christian It has been true in Western societies and it seems to be true elsewhere that you do not find democratic systems apart from capitalism, or apart from a market economy, if you prefer that term Peter L. Berger economy democratic term If the cultural elite has its way, the U.S. will be much more like Europe Peter L. Berger ifs europe way There is a continuum of values between the churches and the general community. What distinguishes the handling of these values in the churches is mainly the heavier dosage of religious vocabulary involved Peter L. Berger vocabulary community religious F. A. Hayek is probably the most prominent advocate of capitalism in the present period. Peter L. Berger hayek capitalism periods Our institute's agenda is relatively simple. We study the relationship between social-economic change and culture. By culture we mean beliefs, values and lifestyles. We cover a broad range of issues, and we work very internationally. Peter L. Berger issues simple mean I'm sure Putnam is right that there's been a decline in certain kinds of organizations like bowling leagues. But people participate in communities in other ways. Peter L. Berger aggravation organization people If a socialist economy is opened up to increasing degrees of market forces, a point will be reached at which democratic governance becomes a possibility. Peter L. Berger socialist-economy possibility degrees So I think one can say on empirical grounds - not because of some philosophical principle - that you can't have democracy unless you have a market economy. Peter L. Berger philosophical democracy thinking But we don't have an example of a democratic society existing in a socialist economy - which is the only real alternative to capitalism in the modern world. Peter L. Berger socialist-economy real example
