Small Wonder presents the dangers of the 'underside of modernity': the unleashing of unlimited lust for (global) power and wealth. Relying on leading critical intellectuals, Dallmayr offers a critique of the self-deceptions of our age, arguing in favor of the cultivation of the 'small wonder' of everyday life.

"There is no single conclusion to be drawn from Small Wonder, but rather little pockets of hope within the text. With the multitude of topics approached, Dallmayr avoids prescribing a totalizing thought to rescue us from empire in its many forms, but provides a book which will speak differently to each reader. The disparate topics allow the reader to focus on particular aspects, but also remind them to adopt a holistic image of thought. Finally, the biggest contribution of Small Wonder is Dallmayr's employment of a more 'practical philosophy' approach to global politics, which successfully interconnects the theoretical and the empirical." - Millennium: Journal of International Studies