Mestrovic is a Durkheim scholar.
But before applying Durkheim's theory to modern
society, he must first rehabilitate it from
the ruins of Parsons' and Merton's functionalism.
Derived very much from Durkheim, Mestrovic
states that men and women are born with a
strong ego or will.
In fact, individuals can be conceived as having
two natures [they are homo duplex] of the
angel and the beast, the beast being the stronger
of the two.
Without strong integration into social groups---not
just normative consensus on the rules of behavior
and common values, but a love and commitment
to these groups---the individual lacks strong
moral guidance from their society and the
ego or will is set loose upon the world.
In such situations, men and women essentially
exploit their fellow humans.
It is important to note that Mestrovic does
not believe the needed morality can come from
a rational source; in fact, rationality tends
to erode the moral authority needed to restrain
exploitive behavior.
Rather, what is needed is a revival of traditional
and emotional structures that are capable
of fully integrating people into society to
keep them in check; love and commitment most
of all.
Lacking this integration, the will is left
to its own devices and engages in barbarism
and other exploitive behaviors to satisfy
its whims.
According to Mestrovic, the world is in crisis
and sociology is having a difficult time in
apprehending that crisis.
"Nationalism, socialism, capitalism, and fundamentalism
---the leading 'isms that Durkheim tried to
apprehend sociologically---are still causing
turmoil in the world"(1988, p. ix).
The West is without a comprehensive system
of morality, each individual is left to her
own devices, there is little restraint on
individual will.
Without a moral system that truly binds individuals
to the social order, crime has reached epidemic
levels; politics has become a game of power
and dominance rather than governance and consensus;
economic competition has become unrestrained
and often counter to the good of the social
whole.
Violence in pursuit of individual "happiness"
has become a way of life; suffering and discontent
despite material abundance has become the
norm.
Durkheim saw anomie as a "pervasive discontent"
afflicting modern society, a "collective derangement"
brought about by the loosening of social bonds
upon people---the rise of individualism, the
weakening of family, of religion, as well
as of professional groups and associations.
According to Mestrovic, modern economic systems---whether
they be capitalist, communist, or socialist---fail
to provide moral guidance to the individual,
instead promoting consumerism and economic
self interest.
The western world is living at the height
of civilization and barbarism.
Human knowledge today is greater than ever
before; our understanding of nature and our
universe has never been so accurate.
Literacy has been spread to the masses; higher
education is increasingly available to wider
segments of the population.
At the 
same time, we are living in an era when wars
kill thousands; divorce is rampant; inequality
within and between nations is high; democratic
governments engage in torture; child abuse---sexual,
emotional, physical---has seemingly become
epidemic.
Mass murder on the part of governments has
become commonplace; corporations exploit workers,
consumers, governments, and the environment;
murder and other forms of violent crime are
at alarming rates; consumerism has become
a way of life for many; drug use is epidemic;
and politicians engage in lies and deception.
The list could easily go on---just go to any
cable news channel on any given day, read
a daily newspaper or a weekly news magazine---civilization
is indeed advancing, barbarism is indeed on
the rise.
Mestrovic asks: could the two be inextricably
intertwined?
The "heart" (egoism) is 
always stronger than the "mind" (society);
the constraining of the barbaric will can
only be accomplished by other "habits of the
heart" that are equally powerful.
These habits of the heart are feelings of
altruism and compassion, the other side of
human nature that must be cultivated and given
expression in our culture.
But, altruism cannot be systematized: "The
moment one tries to systematize compassion
into socialism, for example, one has converted
a benign trait into its opposite.
This is because, according to Durkheim, any
time we act from duty, fear, or any sort of
compulsion, we are really acting on the basis
of egoistic self interest, which is the basis
of barbarism."
"Durkheim claims over and over again in his
writings that genuine human goodness must
be sought spontaneously, for its own sake"
(1993, p. 47).
This problem becomes particularly acute in
that the development of civilization seems
to be eliminating the basis for empathy by
weakening traditional institutions such as
family and community and instilling the values
of the marketplace which inflame the egoistic
will.
Both Durkheim and Mestrovic argue strongly
that compassion cannot be learned, it can
only be transmitted through example.
To do this, Durkheim advanced "the revival
of guild-like associations and the family"
to model compassion and foster its development
within individuals; such development would
bind the individual to others with bonds of
love and commitment.
Such guilds have not been formed, and the
family as well as religion, community, and
other institutions that functioned to bind
the individual to the whole continue to be
weakened in the West.
Durkheim's aphorism that "The gods are growing
old or are already dead, and others are not
yet born" remains true today.
As a consequence, Western societies are in
danger of disintegration.
Seeking identity, values, direction, and meaning
in the modern nation state and failing to
find it, millions have turned to sectarian
religions and ideologies that glorify folk
identity and advocate "suspicion, paranoia,
and sometimes even hate of neighbors" (1994,
p. 8).
Perhaps in reaction to the decline of traditional
religion which was universal in nature and
preached love and brotherhood, these fundamentalist
faiths have attached themselves to political
movements that seek to separate from the dominant
culture and establish a more homogenous social
order.
It was Durkheim who encompassed all of this
within his sociology; Durkheim who made religion
and the sacred a center-piece of his thought;
Durkheim who pointed to the increasing division
of labor as the key to economic development
as well as the root cause of anomie and widespread
discontent.
According to Mestrovic, the key insight of
Durkheim and other early social scientists
that society is held together by irrational
feelings of love, affection, attachment, empathy,
and devotion to one another has been lost
to most modern sociologists.
This loss, according to Mestrovic, has had
tragic consequences for sociology and for
western society.
If you are interested in the big picture you
should take a look at Macro Social Theory,
a book that reviews the theories of classical
macro social theorists such as Karl Marx,
Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim as well as the
work of many who extended their theories to
better reflect modern times such as Norbert
Elias, Gerhard Lenski, and John Bellamy Foster.
This book can be found exclusively at Amazon.com
at a reasonable price.
Also see Sociocultural Systems: Principles
of Structure and Change to learn how these
insights contribute to a fuller understanding
of modern societies.
Sociocultural Systems can be purchased at
most online bookstores or at Athabasca University
Press.
If you are short of funds Athabasca also offers
a free pdf version of the work.
A significant portion of the royalties I receive
for these books go to the Rogers State University
Foundation in support of students in 
the Liberal Arts.
I thank you for your support and interest.
