Rise of the Imperial Self

<I>The Rise of the Imperial Self</I> 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.