Schur loved not only the central thesis of âWhat We Owe to Each Otherâ but also the bookâs title. âIt assumes that we owe things to each other,â he told me. âIt starts from that place. Itâs not like: Do we owe anything to each other? Itâs like: Given that we owe things to each other, letâs try to figure out what they are. Itâs a very quietly subversive idea.â
It is, in a way, deeply un-American â an affront to our central mythology of individual rights, self-interest and the sanctity of the free market. As an over-the-top avatar of all our worst impulses, Eleanor is severely allergic to any notion of community. And yet her salvation will turn out to depend on the people around her, all of whom will in turn depend on her. What makes us good, Chidi tells her, is âour bonds to other people and our innate desire to treat them with dignity.â
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