Download or read book The Rise of the Imperial Self written by Ronald William Dworkin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1996 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rise of the Imperial Self establishes a geneaology of aristocracy and places America firmly within an aristocratic tradition originally articulated by St. Augustine, but adapted to American society by Alexis de Tocqueville. Ronald W. Dworkin then traces the evolution of American culture from Tocqueville's America, when American aristocracy was defined by a love of something beyond the self to today's preoccupation with individuality, self-expression, autonomy, and self-esteem--the "imperial self."