Public-Spirited Citizenship: Leadership and Good Government in the United States
May 2015 · Transaction Publishers
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260
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About this ebook
Any searching look at the theory and practice of citizenship in the United States today is bewildering and disconcerting. Despite earnest concern for participation, access, and âleverage,â there is a widespread perception that nothing citizens do has much meaning or influence. This book argues that for American democracy to work in the twenty-first century, renewed interest in teaching the nationâs young citizens a sense of the public good is imperative. All of the nationâs founders, especially Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and Madison, addressed the question of whether and how a citizen can make a difference in the American political process. This concern harkens back even farther, to Locke, Erasmus, and Aristotle. Today, one obstacle to good citizenship is the social scientific turn in political science. Leaders in civic education in the twentieth century eschewed grand ideas and moral principles in favor of a focus on behaviorism and competitive, liberal politics. Another problem is the growing belief that the government has no business promoting the public good through the support of religious, educational, or cultural efforts. Ralph Ketcham vividly depicts the relationship of private self-interest and public-spirited action as these pertain to citizenship and good government. This is an enlightening book for the general reader, as well as for students, professional social scientists, and political philosophers.
Any searching look at the theory and practice of citizenship in the United States today is bewildering and disconcerting. Despite earnest concern for participation, access, and âleverage,â there is a widespread perception that nothing citizens do has much meaning or influence. This book argue...
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About the author
Ralph Ketcham is Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is the author of many books, including The Idea of Democracy in the Modern Era and Individualism and Public Life.
Ralph Ketcham is Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is the author of many books, including The Idea of Democracy in the Modern Era and Individualism and Public Life.
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