{"product_id":"culture-and-anarchy-17","title":"Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism","description":"By the middle of the nineteenth century, culture was often considered to be nothing but a meaningless 'smattering of Latin and Greek'. In this work, first published in 1869, Matthew Arnold (1822–88) redefines culture as a striving for 'the best that has been thought or said', and as a contrast to 'philistinism' and the over-valuation of the practical. Critical of the uninspiring lifestyles of many of his religious and non-religious contemporaries, he raises the controversial issue of how to lead a good life, aesthetically, intellectually and morally. He introduces a middle road between classical and Judaeo-Christian ideals ('Hellenism' and 'Hebraism') which promotes the state over the individual, a position that has often prompted his critics to consider him an authoritarian thinker. A fascinating piece of social and political criticism, and an adjunct to Arnold's poetry, this work was both controversial when it was first published, and enormously influential thereafter.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46623057084626,"sku":"9781108040174","price":61.42,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_3d63c8b5-f5ed-4d9d-a15f-93ac75ead85f.jpg?v=1762620162","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/culture-and-anarchy-17","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}