Words can speak volumes in describing social change

Google's database of 5.2 million books published between 1500 and 2008 provides some interesting clues about usage - and perhaps about attitudes. Citing a study, NYT columnist David Brooks writes that "personalized," "self," "standout," and "unique" were used more often between 1960 and 2008, while "share," "community," "collective," "and "common good" were used less frequently. Another study found that "virtue," "decency" and "conscience" were used less frequently over the course of the 20th century. From Brooks:

Over the past half-century, society has become more individualistic. As it has become more individualistic, it has also become less morally aware, because social and moral fabrics are inextricably linked. The atomization and demoralization of society have led to certain forms of social breakdown, which government has tried to address, sometimes successfully and often impotently. This story, if true, should cause discomfort on right and left.