Abstract

The erstwhile consensus on morality has disintegrated with deleterious consequences the family and the American community. The disappearance of a moral consensus has undermined the American social contract. Daniel J, Boorstin and Russell Kirk identify religion as the underlying bedrock of the American community. Kirk emphasizes the religious nature of tradition, while Boorstin celebrates God's role in humanity's creative activities. While both authors are devoted to a transcendental moral code or "essence," Boorstin suggests the trait of pragmatic adaptation as a uniquely American phenomenon. Kirk's return to tradition and Boorstin's notion of a generalized religion may offer a solution to the contemporary crisis of moral community.