Main entry:

Macdonald, William A. (William Atwood), author.

Title & Author:

Might nature be Canadian? : essays on mutual accommodation / William A. Macdonald.

Publication:

Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2020]
©2020

Description:

xxiv, 403 pages ; 24 cm

Notes:
Published for the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
What Is Mutual Accommodation? -- The Need for Strong Institutions, Leaders, and Policies -- Vibrant Middle Classes and Five Essential Institutions: Rule of Law, Democratic Governance, Free Markets, Robust Media, Fearless Universities -- Mutual Accommodation Is Part of Canada's DNA -- Governance and Political Issues for the Twenty-First Century -- The Rule of Law Still Matters -- A Fine Balance in Culture and Languages: Overcoming Islamophobia -- Toronto: From Good to Great -- A True Partnership with Our Indigenous Peoples: Truth and Reconciliation -- How to Foster Enterprise and Innovation -- Canada Needs a New Economic Narrative -- Trade and Free Markets in a Global Economy -- A Different Foreign Policy for a Different World -- The World We Live in Now -- US Protectionism and President Trump -- Brexit: The UK Withdrawal from Europe -- China's Ambitions at Home and Abroad -- A New Surge in Moral Authority -- Why Mutual Accommodation Is Essential Today -- The Need for New Fundamental Ways of Thinking -- New Ways of Thinking Are Essential in a New World -- The Post-Thatcher/Reagan Economy, 2008-09 -- Epilogue: A Second Sir John A. Macdonald Moment -- Canada After the October 2019 Federal Election -- Paul Volcker on Canada's Mutual Accommodation.
Issued also in electronic format.

Summary:

"This collection of essays, most of which were first published in the Globe and Mail, explores the theme of mutual accomodation. The essays examine Canada's mutual accommodation experience, its successes and failures, and the relevance of these lessons elsewhere in the world. The book's title was inspired by two ideas of the philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead. First, civilization is the triumph of persuasion over force. Second, quantum particles can be in more than one place at the same time. If that is true, then nature can be simultaneously inflecible, and inclusive and accommodating. Is it possible, then, that at its heart, nature might be Canadian? Mutual accommodation is about co-operation, compromise, and inclusion. It helps to get things done by making room for others, though some pressure or force might be needed along the way. It strengthens, not weakens, identities. In an ideal world, everyone would be a winner. Mutual accommodation makes that outcome more possible. Throughout its history, Canada has exhibited a stronger drive toward mutual accommodation than any other country--an approach that has allowed its increasingly diverse citizens to live together peacefully and successfully, even as they retain their own culture, language, and religion. The United States has the opposite drive--to division--a characteristic that, under the present government, is becoming ever more powerful. In the current troubled times, the world must adopt its own forms of mutual accommodation models in order to avoid the violence, hatred, and economic disruptions of the 1914-45 period. Family therapists say that sometimes we must fight, because fighting is the strongest form of communication, but if we are going to fight, we must know when to stop and how to negotiate. Canada is simultaneously a huge story (because of the high relevance today of its mutual accommodation ways) and a small story (its population equalled only .005 percent of the world population in 2017). The world is "both/and" (flexible) and "either/or" (inflexible). It is best when necessary either/or-ness can be accommodated within a larger both/and-ness. It is not zero-sum - it is non-zero sum, which is the way of nature."-- Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

9780228001454 hardcover
0228001455 hardcover
(ePDF)
9780228001461
(ePUB)
9780228001478

Subject:

Globalization Canada.
Mondialisation Canada.
Civilization
Globalization
Canada Civilization 21st century.
Canada Civilisation 21e siècle.
Canada

Form/genre:

Essays

Holdings:

Location: Library main 308902
Call No.: BIB 254219
Status: Available