ABSTRACT
Charles Handy (1994) has recently written a book entitled The Empty Raincoat. As a symbol and metaphor for the end of the twentieth century, The Empty Raincoat is immensely powerful. For Handy it signifies the paradox of increased economic progress leading those in work to feel anonymous cogs in a great machine. For the increasing numbers of those out of work, The Empty Raincoat only too vividly symbolises the emptiness and void in which their lives are lived. Handy is currently one of a number of philosophers re-examining foundational values (Barrow 1993, p. l). These appear to be most elusive and problematical just at a time when they are most needed because materialism and technology are not automatically delivering happiness. As Handy suggests, many are now seeking values and meanings to underpin ‘candyfloss capitalism’.
