Republican civic virtue, enlightened self-interest and Tocqueville
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6260477 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessica L Kimpell (Columbia University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 345-367 |
| Publication date | 2015-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1474-8851 • E-ISSN: 1741-2730 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1474885114546139 |
| OpenAlex | W2316930938 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
Tocqueville’s claim in Democracy in America about the link between associations and a vibrant public sphere is interpreted especially by neo-republicans in political theory as aligned with their argument that civic virtue can and ought to be fostered in today’s democracies. This paper challenges such a reading of Tocqueville by considering his notion of enlightened self-interest. Tocqueville’s ideas about the nature of political activity differ markedly from the republican ideal of a citizenry marked by civic virtue, as Tocqueville appeals to self-interest, albeit an enlightened sort, as the primary motive for involvement. Tocqueville also suggests that the character of political behaviour he describes in contrast to civic virtue contributes to a more nuanced understanding of what motivates citizens to engage in public life in modern democracy
Argument (complex analysis · Character (mathematics · Civic virtue · Democracy · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Ideal (ethics · Political science · Politics · Public sphere · Sociology · Virtue · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence · Religion and Society Interactions
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2024 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |