Philosophy 24-2

A decade ago, Bowling Alone noted our increasing disconnection from social groups. Recently Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together argues that, thanks to instant messaging, the web, social media and texting, we are now hyper-connected, and yet we are even more isolated. But neither book shows us what it would be like to be genuinely in touch with one another. Prophetically, The Brothers Karamazov offers an account of the origin and spread of a kind of total caring that draws human beings joyfully together.