The Society I Live in Is Mine
The Society I Live in Is Mine is a 1963 book by Paul Goodman of his accumulated letters to the editor and other public commentary ephemera.

Contents and themes 

The Society I Live in Is Mine collects social commentary ephemera by Paul Goodman, including letters to the editor, essays, and speeches both published and unpublished in newspapers and magazines. Much of the content is written to address the general public with the intent to urge others by example to become more alert and intervening citizens by his own example. Goodman describes the collection as “angry letters on public morals and politics” written to “influence the general consensus”. He is appalled by how few people self-regard as citizens and instead view society as machinery of authorities in which they participate. Goodman intends to prove that by becoming heard, people can more fully participate in and enjoy their society.

The range of topics covered in his correspondence has no strict categorization but reflects the range of his personal interests in addressing civic problems that concern him. Goodman's general position is that of a "community anarchist": He believes in reducing sovereign power, increasing individual initiative, and wide experimentation in topics such as education and disarmament. Though mostly writes from a liberal perspective, Goodman makes some arch-conservative points in the name of diminishing soverignty, notably his position against nation-states and for "personal liberty and local initiative". As one reviewer put it, the collection's only unifying theme is "the mind of Paul Goodman", reflecting his positions as an anarchist and pacifist, and his advocacy for sexual freedom, libertarian education, and face-to-face communication in small communities. His range of positions include: abolishing suburbs, abolishing advertising, civil disobedience and peace marches in response to war, dividing cities into village neighborhoods, informal apprenticeships for adolescents, encouragement of sex, reducing school administration, and experimenting with small classes and amateur teachers.

He spends particular focus on education and the "waste of the young". Goodman advocates for freedom for teachers and students in an era of opposition to progressive schooling. He argues against school standardization as a path to achievement and believes that American society will be wiser and freer for more greatly distributing the authority to explore personal initiative and make mistakes. In this way, he argues against schools as institutions to contain dropouts rather than providing them with another way to live decently. Goodman argues against literacy, which he sees as having "no practical importance" in societal decision-making, used mainly to advertise and campaign to individuals.

The book includes many letters to publications and public officials, and some speeches and reviews. His public letters tend towards larger societal problems: to the Federal Communications Commission chair, to a university on advertising, to the New York State Commissioner of Education on good teachers blamed for the bad decisions of administrators, and to the United Nations Secretary General on citizen demonstrations. His proposals are not always pleasing; notes in the text disclose where his recipients did not print or acknowledge his letters, or other notes on the general effect of the letters. Where they weren't published, Goodman blames the editor's judgment or courage.

Publication 

Horizon Press published the book in hardcover on April 4, 1963.

References

Bibliography 

 
 
  Also published in

External links 

 

1963 non-fiction books
American non-fiction books
Books by Paul Goodman
English-language books
Horizon Press books
Collections of letters