A wide-ranging critique of American liberalism that, unlike many
other current books on the matter, seeks its restoration as a
guiding political ethic. "Despite the achievements of American life
in the last half-century," political theorist Sandel (Harvard)
writes, "our politics is beset with anxiety and frustration." He
suggests that the growing public mistrust in the federal
government, whose manifestations range from the conservative sweep
of Congress in the last election to the Oklahoma City bombing, can
be addressed only by reevaluating the liberal assumption that
"government should be neutral on the question of the good life,"
and by putting in its place a social-democratic concern for the
spiritual well-being of the citizenry. The "utilitarian calculus"
of the past has helped preserve individual liberties, Sandel
observes, but it finds little room for weighing the finer questions
of morality in recommending action. (For instance, Sandel remarks,
minimalist liberalism of the sort that is practiced today could
scarcely find room for the anti slavery arguments of the
abolitionists a century and a half ago, relying as those arguments
did on "appeals to comprehensive moral ideals.") This indifference
to the character of the citizenry, Sandel adds, is not the province
of liberalism alone; where liberals have defended abortion rights
on the grounds that government has no place in moral issues,
conservatives have likewise argued for laissez-faire economic
policies, claiming "government should be neutral toward the
outcomes" of a market economy. Sandel is strong on tracking the
history of this value-neutralization of government; he is less
successful in identifying the particulars of a practical yet
value-laden ethic that can "repair the civic life on which
democracy depends" while not trampling on anyone's liberties - one
of the thorny dilemmas of current reformist politics. A book rich
in ideas, if not in blueprints for action. (Kirkus Reviews)
Despite the success of American life in the last half-century -
unprecedented affluence, greater social justice for women and
minorities, the end of the Cold War - our politics is rife with
discontent. Americans are frustrated with government. We fear we
are losing control of the forces that govern our lives, and that
the moral fabric of community - from neighborhood to nation - is
unraveling around us. What ails democracy in America today, and
what can be done about it? Democracy's Discontent traces our
political predicament to a defect in the public philosophy by which
we live. In a searching account of current controversies over the
role of government, the scope of rights and entitlements, and the
place of morality in politics, Michael Sandel identifies the
dominant public philosophy of our time and finds it flawed. The
defect, Sandel maintains, lies in the impoverished vision of
citizenship and community shared by Democrats and Republicans
alike. American politics has lost its civic voice, leaving both
liberals and conservatives unable to inspire the sense of community
and civic engagement that self-government requires. In search of a
public philosophy adequate to our time, Sandel ranges across the
American political experience, recalling the arguments of Jefferson
and Hamilton, Lincoln and Douglas, Holmes and Brandeis, FDR and
Reagan. He relates epic debates over slavery and industrial
capitalism to contemporary controversies over the welfare state,
religion, abortion, gay rights, and hate speech.
General
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