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1、NEWYORKREVIEWOFBOOKSVolume56,Number20·December17,2009WhatIsLivingandWhatIsDeadinSocialDemocracy?ByTonyJudtThefollowingisadaptedfromalecturegivenatNewYorkUniversityonOctober19,2009.Americanswouldlikethingstobebetter.Accordingtopublicopinionsurveysinrecentyears,eve
2、ryonewouldliketheirchildtohaveimprovedlifechancesatbirth.Theywouldpreferitiftheirwifeordaughterhadthesameoddsofsurvivingmaternityaswomeninotheradvancedcountries.Theywouldappreciatefullmedicalcoverageatlowercost,longerlifeexpectancy,betterpublicservices,andlesscri
3、me.WhentoldthatthesethingsareavailableinAustria,Scandinavia,ortheNetherlands,butthattheycomewithhighertaxesandan"interventionary"state,manyofthosesameAmericansrespond:"Butthatissocialism!Wedonotwantthestateinterferinginouraffairs.Andaboveall,wedonotwishtopaymoret
4、axes."Thiscuriouscognitivedissonanceisanoldstory.Acenturyago,theGermansociologistWernerSombartfamouslyasked:WhyistherenosocialisminAmerica?Therearemanyanswerstothisquestion.Somehavetodowiththesheersizeofthecountry:sharedpurposesaredifficulttoorganizeandsustainona
5、nimperialscale.Therearealso,ofcourse,culturalfactors,includingthedistinctivelyAmericansuspicionofcentralgovernment.Andindeed,itisnotbychancethatsocialdemocracyandwelfarestateshaveworkedbestinsmall,homogeneouscountries,whereissuesofmistrustandmutualsuspiciondonota
6、risesoacutely.Awillingnesstopayforotherpeople'sservicesandbenefitsrestsupontheunderstandingthattheyinturnwilldolikewiseforyouandyourchildren:becausetheyarelikeyouandseetheworldasyoudo.Conversely,whereimmigrationandvisibleminoritieshavealteredthedemographyofacount
7、ry,wetypicallyfindincreasedsuspicionofothersandalossofenthusiasmfortheinstitutionsofthewelfarestate.Finally,itisincontrovertiblethatsocialdemocracyandthewelfarestatesfaceseriouspracticalchallengestoday.Theirsurvivalisnotinquestion,buttheyarenolongerasself-confide
8、ntastheyonceappeared.Butmyconcerntonightisthefollowing:WhyisitthathereintheUnitedStateswehavesuchdifficultyevenimaginingadifferentsortofsocietyfromtheonewhosed
