‘Class – The Emergence of the Top and the Bottom’ by Hanno Sauer dissects the various social classes in Germany with surgical precision, drawing on a wealth of academic sources – both historical and contemporary – and combining them with his own observations. In doing so, he states that he does not follow the approach taken, for example, by JD Vance in ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, who plays the outsider who spends a time in the spheres of power and then returns to report on how crazy everyone ‘up there’ is. Hanno Sauer himself comes from a very affluent background in Germany and takes this as the starting point for his research. Sauer currently teaches philosophy in Utrecht and specialises in moral psychology and empirical meta-ethics, which lends the book the necessary critical depth. Despite its academic rigour, the text is refreshing and topical, as Sauer addresses the dynamics of our time and places them in the context of social mobility: the chapter on moral grandstanding in the digital sphere, for example, is particularly interesting. At the end of the book, Sauer proposes 10 ways in which we can reduce social inequalities in the interests of a fairer society.
With this book, Hanno Sauer helps us to understand German society better and shows how greater equality could be achieved. As he says, Trump’s authoritarian MAGA political style has long since spilled over to us; it promises a revolution of the working class against the elites (together with certain sections of the elites). That is why I consider this book an important resource for anyone active in current politics, as it provides helpful insights and arguments.
About:
- Author: Hanno Sauer
- Titel: Klasse – Die Entstehung von Oben und Unten
- Publication date: 2025
- Cover: Hardcover
- Editor: Piper
- Pages: 368
- Language: German
- Price: 26,00€
- Non-fiction
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