New Reformation Explained
New Reformation: Notes of a Neolithic Conservative is a 1970 book of social commentary by Paul Goodman best known as his apologia pro vita sua before his death two years later.
Synopsis
Its first essay addresses misuse of scientific discovery by government. Contending that technology is a type of moral philosophy, not science, he advocates for technologists to advise on the proper use of technology and greater technological decentralization. He promotes reducing cars and encouraging space exploration. Goodman draws a final analogy between his contemporary times and the Protestant Reformation.
The book marked Goodman's schism from the countercultural student movement, which he saw as growing in ignorance and frail ideology, and who saw him as bourgeois.
Reception and legacy
Writing in 2010, author Kerry Howley assessed Goodman's core distrust as having withstood the test of time (i.e., in CIA and FBI hidden government and in major political parties to protect civil liberties and not pursue war). She found his style to overprocess and sabotage ideas he intended to germinate, often extinguishing the joy out of otherwise interesting, subversive thoughts.
Bibliography
- Adams . Phoebe . Rev. of The New Reformation . The Atlantic . 225 . 6 . 128 . June 1970 . 0160-6506 . mdy-all .
- News: Barnard . Roger . Goodman Observed . . 23 . 539 . 251–252 . 1973-02-01 . English . 0028-6729 . . mdy-all .
- News: Cattani . Richard J. . A Conservative Anarchist Thinks Aloud . . 13 . 1970-08-06 . English . 0882-7729 . . Boston . mdy-all .
- Caws . Peter . On to The Constructive Stage (Rev. of New Reformation) . . 162 . 22 . 25–27 . 1970-05-30 . 0028-6583 . mdy-all .
- News: Comeau . Paul J. . Paul Goodman's Last Testament . . 387 . 27–28 . 2012 . English . 0015-0800 . . mdy-all .
- Goodheart . Eugene . Unless I Can Think up an Alternative or Two (Rev. of New Reformation) . . 211 . 3 . 84–86 . 1970-08-03 . 0027-8378 . mdy-all .
- Gordon . Jan B. . Review of New Reformation: Notes of a Neolithic Conservative . . 24 . 4 . 513–517 . 1970 . 0016-8386 . 41396769 . mdy-all .
- Honeywell . Carissa . Rev. of New Reformation . . 19 . 2 . 116–118 . November 2011 . English . 0967-3393 . . mdy-all .
- News: Howley . Kerry . Kerry Howley . Arrested Development . . 17 . 4 . 22–23, 43 . December 2010 . 1098-3376 . mdy-all .
- Kaminsky . James . Paul Goodman, 30 Years Later: Growing Up Absurd; Compulsory Mis-education, and The Community of Scholars; and The New Reformation—A Retrospective . . 108 . 7 . 1339–1361 . 2006 . mdy-all . 10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00696.x .
- News: Keniston . Kenneth . Three books that suggest a radical critique of modern America . . 3, 20 . 1970-09-06 . 0362-4331 . mdy-all .
- News: Letwin . Shirley Robin . Shirley Robin Letwin on the hero of the Beat Generation (Book Review) . . 230 . 7549 . 266–267 . 1973-03-03 . English . 0038-6952 . . mdy-all .
- News: Levine . George . George Levine . Paul Goodman, Outsider Looking In . . 4–6 . 1973-02-18 . 0362-4331 . mdy-all . .
- News: Resnik . Henry S. . Heretic from the Mass Faith in Scientific Technology (Rev. of New Reformation) . . 43–46 . 1970-05-23 . 0036-4983 . mdy-all .
- Schneidau . Herbert N. . Rev. of The New Reformation . . 50 . 5 . 99–103 . November 1970 . English . 0010-2601 . . mdy-all .
- Shimahara . Nobuo . Goodman's Attempt to Explain Anarchy as a Philosophy of Education . . 52 . 1 . 54–55 . 1970 . 0031-7217 . 20372791 . mdy-all .
- Yoder, Jr. . Edwin M. . Books in Brief (Rev. of New Reformation) . . 240 . 1441 . 114 . June 1970 . 0017-789X . mdy-all .
