The Future of the American Idea
As The Atlantic celebrates its 150th anniversary, scholars, novelists, politicians, artists, and others look ahead to the future of the American idea
November 2007
In This Issue
The Atlantic's 150th anniversary issue—prominent contributors weigh in on the future of the American idea; Walter Kirn on the scourge of multitasking; Paul Elie on the misuses of Niebuhr; P.J. O'Rourke sings of fizzy fluid retention; James Fallows on the view of America from Abroad; Hitchens on Bellow; Caitlin Flanagan dismisses Hillary Clinton; and much more.
Features
The Autumn of the Multitaskers
Neuroscience is confirming what we all suspect: Multitasking is dumbing us down and driving us crazy. One man’s odyssey through the nightmare of infinite connectivity
A Man for All Reasons
In the debate over the war on terror (and just about everything else, too), neocons and liberals, theocons and Christian pacifists, idealists and realists have all called upon the writings of the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. What does the promiscuous invocation of his work tell us about the man—and about his would-be acolytes?
I Sing of Fizzy Fluid Retention
The decline of spinsters? Smoke-free living? Drawing on a vast new statistical compendium, our commentator unearths, examines, and extrapolates the hidden challenges to America.
America’s Elegant Decline
Hulls in the water could soon displace boots on the ground as the most important military catchphrase of our time. But our Navy is stretched thin. How we manage dwindling naval resources will go a long way toward determining our future standing in the world.
The View from There
What living in England, Japan, and China has taught one American about the character of his own country
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Toiling in the Dream Factory
Editor’s Choice: Moviemaking in Hollywood’s classical period was colossally complex, backbreakingly difficult, obscenely expensive—and it almost always failed.
No Girlfriend of Mine
One woman’s estrangement from Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Great Assimilator
Saul Bellow’s genius lay in combining the high and the low, the reflective and the active, the ivory tower and the ghetto.
Cover to Cover
A guide to additional releases
In Twain’s Wake
Mint juleps and Magic Fingers on the Mississippi [Web only: Video: Mississippi Melodies]
The Art of Aging Well
A cult destination in London has revolutionized cheesemaking, winning converts as far afield as Vermont.
A Tale of Two Town Houses
Real estate may be as important as religion in explaining the infamous gap between red and blue states.
Fallen Stars
Can celebrities survive the age of too much information?
Word Court
By the pocketbook; "etymologic" debates
Poetry
Doo-Wop
A poem
