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The Future of American Democracy
Patrick Deneen
Abstract
Drawing on Aristotle this paper contrasts two conceptions of liberty – one, as ‘ruling and being ruled in turn’, the other as ‘doing what one likes’. It claims thatAmericacan be said to have had two foundings. The first was that of the Puritan settlers who adopted the notion of self-government and self-restraint; the second, ‘official’ founding heavily influenced by the social contract philosophy of Locke who understood government as existing only to secure our rights and advance our individual freedom. Unlike the first understanding it does not seek to foster conditions in which our souls are educated in self-government. The author concludes that the future of American democracy will depend on which of these two conflicting conceptions becomes the dominant understanding ofAmerica’s liberty.
Keywords
Liberty ; American Democracy ; Self-Government ; Radical Individualism Locke ; Tocqueville ; Aristotle ; Human Anthropology
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