Patriotic Virtue

Bibliographic Data

ID10381973
AuthorsHeidi L Maibom (0000-0003-0433-9143, Carleton University, corresponding author), Fred Bennett (Carleton University, corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume57
Issue3
Pages639-659
Publication date2008-10-08
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9248.2008.00755.x
OpenAlexW4252357135
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited26

Some philosophers argue that the state and its citizens stand in a morally privileged position vis-à-vis one another, but not towards other states or citizens. However, many of those people, particularly philosophical liberals, also hold that morally insignificant differences, such as place of birth, sex or ethnicity, should not affect rights, liberties and life prospects. On the face of it, these two sets of ideas appear incompatible and point to a conflict in some liberal thought. Liberal philosophers, like John Rawls, have attempted to reconcile these conflicting ideas. His attempt has attracted a great deal of criticism, especially from those liberals attracted to a more cosmopolitan point of view. In this article, we use Aristotelian virtue ethics as the basis upon which to reconcile liberalism and patriotism. We argue that the state should be understood as an agent that stands in a special relationship to its citizens (of philia). The state's virtue depends, in part, on it giving those citizens preferential treatment with regard to justice compared to citizens of other countries. Similarly, if citizens are to be just in their relations with their own state, they must behave in special ways towards that state as compared to other states. Certain forms of justice only arise in relationships of particular kinds

Classical liberalism · Criticism · Economic Justice · Environmental ethics · Law and economics · Liberalism · Patriotism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Virtue · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Law · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics

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