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1、NEWYORKREVIEWOFBOOKSVolume56,Number20·December17,2009WhatIsLivingandWhatIsDeadinSocialDemocracy?ByTonyJudtThefollowingisadaptedfromalecturegivenatNewYorkUniversityonOctober19,2009.Americanswouldlikethingstobebetter.Accordingtopublicopinionsurveysinrecentyears,everyonewouldl
2、iketheirchildtohaveimprovedlifechancesatbirth.Theywouldpreferitiftheirwifeordaughterhadthesameoddsofsurvivingmaternityaswomeninotheradvancedcountries.Theywouldappreciatefullmedicalcoverageatlowercost,longerlifeexpectancy,betterpublicservices,andlesscrime.Whentoldthattheseth
3、ingsareavailableinAustria,Scandinavia,ortheNetherlands,butthattheycomewithhighertaxesandan"interventionary"state,manyofthosesameAmericansrespond:"Butthatissocialism!Wedonotwantthestateinterferinginouraffairs.Andaboveall,wedonotwishtopaymoretaxes."Thiscuriouscognitivedissona
4、nceisanoldstory.Acenturyago,theGermansociologistWernerSombartfamouslyasked:WhyistherenosocialisminAmerica?Therearemanyanswerstothisquestion.Somehavetodowiththesheersizeofthecountry:sharedpurposesaredifficulttoorganizeandsustainonanimperialscale.Therearealso,ofcourse,cultura
5、lfactors,includingthedistinctivelyAmericansuspicionofcentralgovernment.Andindeed,itisnotbychancethatsocialdemocracyandwelfarestateshaveworkedbestinsmall,homogeneouscountries,whereissuesofmistrustandmutualsuspiciondonotarisesoacutely.Awillingnesstopayforotherpeople'sservices
6、andbenefitsrestsupontheunderstandingthattheyinturnwilldolikewiseforyouandyourchildren:becausetheyarelikeyouandseetheworldasyoudo.Conversely,whereimmigrationandvisibleminoritieshavealteredthedemographyofacountry,wetypicallyfindincreasedsuspicionofothersandalossofenthusiasmfo
7、rtheinstitutionsofthewelfarestate.Finally,itisincontrovertiblethatsocialdemocracyandthewelfarestatesfaceseriouspracticalchallengestoday.Theirsurvivalisnotinquestion,buttheyarenolongerasself-confidentastheyonceappeared.Butmyconcerntonightisthefollowing:WhyisitthathereintheUn
8、itedStateswehavesuchdifficultyevenimaginingadifferentsortofsocietyfromtheonewhosed
