Daniel Shanahan Books

This brutally honest and gritty autobiographical account chronicles the author's tumultuous journey as a former Baltimore City Police Officer. It explores the relentless struggle between good and evil, highlighting the author's descent from an idealistic recruit to a troubled, jaded officer. Initially driven by a deep desire to serve and protect, his pride and respect for the badge gradually eroded, leading him into alcoholism and a loss of moral compass. The narrative unfolds in the Eastern District, notorious for its violence and crime, where the author faced the harsh realities of policing in one of the city's most dangerous areas. The book vividly depicts the traumatic experiences that shaped his worldview, paralleling themes seen in shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "The Wire." As the author grapples with the consequences of his actions, including two criminal indictments and subsequent incarcerations, readers are invited into a world filled with fear and uncertainty. The story reveals how the pressures of policing in such a volatile environment can alter an officer's demeanor and provoke deep existential questions. This compelling read is essential for anyone seeking to understand the profound challenges faced by law enforcement in high-crime areas, offering insights into the trials and tribulations that can lead to a dramatic transformation.

Současný politický diskurs v USA - a i v dalších průmyslových demokraciích - byl až doposud založen na bezmezné víře v "prosperitu", která pramenila z pocitu vítězství nad chudobou a zápasem o přežití. Dnes, když demokracie získala spíše materiální rozměr, se již málo bavíme o tom, kam by měla vlastně směrovat. Stejně tak se neptáme na otázku, jaký vztah by ve skutečnosti měl být mezi menšinou lidstva, která si užívá prosperity a většinou , která k prosperitě přístup nemá. Kniha Waiting for Something That Never Arrived vychází z několika výměn názorů mezi autorem a nedávno zesnulým britským historikem Tony Judtem a postupně se snaží o vybudování filosofického základu pro progresivní myšlení a rozvážnou politickou diskuzi. Kniha je v anglickém jazyce. Autor knihy Dan Shanahan je profesorem komunikace na Fakultě humanitních studií Univerzity Karlovy v Praze. Působil na fakultách Monterey Institute of International Studies v Kalifornii a na Ecole des hautes etudes commerciales v Paříži. Dvakrát také přednášel v rámci stipendií Fulbrightova programu. Je autorem knih Towards a Genealogy of Individualism (UMass Press, 1992) a Language, Feeling and the Brain (Transaction Publishers, 2007).

This engaging interdisciplinary study examines the emergence, rise, and decline of individualism as a central feature of the Western world view. Building on research into the concept of self, Daniel Shanahan argues that the seeds of individualism - "that system of beliefs in which the individual becomes the final arbiter of truth" - were sown in ancient civilizations where subjective consciousness first became apparent. He then traces the evolution of the Western self-concept through its various historical the "analog self" of the Greeks and Hebrews; the "authorized self" of Augustine and the Christian era; and the "empowered self" of modernity.In Shanahan's view, the current collapse of individualism reflects growing skepticism about the capacity of the self alone to determine truth. These doubts can be attributed in part to the inherent tensions of a self-referential epistemology and in part to the increasing alienation of the individual from modern society.In a final chapter, Shanahan draws on cross-cultural and anthropological studies of non-Western cultures to show that alternatives to the individualistic paradigm not only exist, but may already signal the advent of a new world view based on the recognition of human interdependence.