Abstract

When in 1982 Herman Kahn celebrated Reagan's America as the location of the “coming boom” and “super-industrial” growth, he was certain that the move pivoting the country toward this new stage would be the restoration of “good instincts and common sense.” Nor had he any doubts about the specific attitudes required (and at mat time almost forgotten): “During the early stages of industrialization, when success is still in doubt, hard work and sacrifices are not only acceptable, they are usually made willingly and highly approved by one's peers. But by the time a nation has created an industrial base and established a relatively efficient economy, sacrifices are made more grudgingly …”