Shame, Fame, and the Technological Mentality

“This is an excellent work and brings a plurality of resources to themes central to the enduring human condition, as well as contemporary manifestations and indeed malformations of this enduring condition. The style is intelligent, informed, and informative. Moreover, it is pleasingly engaging and carries the reader along with the unfolding of different cultural and historical facets of relevance to the themes of the book. Thoughtful, apt in its reflections, and marked by refreshing touches of humor, it is a worthy work.”

-- William Desmond, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

"A gripping narrative about the possible exit from the dead end track of the technological mentality. Not a happy end story, but a reasonable restoration of virtue ethics via a masterful dialectics of shame and fame against the background of prominent examples from the history of Western philosophy and literature."

-- Alexander L. Gungov, University of Sofia St. Kliment Ohridski

“In this perceptive, wide-ranging, and learned book, Dustin Peone reflects on the positive function of shame, the primordial urge to fame, and the power of technology to undermine both. He challenges prevailing assumptions, reminds us of the common good, and suggests that the cultivation of a historically informed prudence, as well as a sense of humor, may allow a space to think and to live without capitulation to dictates of modern technology. This is a vital book on subjects of significance for self and society.”

-- Eugene Heath, State University of New