Description
Book SynopsisArgues for participatory democracy without dependence on abstract metaphysical foundations, and stresses the relationship among democracy and civil society, civic education and culture. This book is divided into sections including 'American Theory: Democracy, Liberalism, and Rights' and 'American Practice: Leadership, Citizenship, and Censorship'.
Trade Review"Barber opens up the way for reexamining just what our role must be in the cause of Democracy. A stunning and sobering look at civil society at the century's end."--Virginia Quarterly Review "Overall, the work is typical Barber: well written, conceptually fascinating, and astutely relevant."--Choice "Enlightening... Politicians and history teachers, citizens even, would be wise to pick up this collection."--Kathleen Daley, Newark Star-Ledger "The essays in A Passion for Democracy offer nuggets of keen historical insight and every so often connect with a sharp dart to the complacent regions of liberal capitalism... It doesn't hurt that, in an arena in which turgid, jargon-ridden prose is the rule, Barber can spin a phrase with the dexterity of Derek Jeter turning a double-play at second base."--Loren Lomasky, Reason
Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPt. IAmerican Theory: Democracy, Liberalism, and RightsCh. 1Liberal Democracy and the Costs of Consent3Ch. 2Foundationalism and Democracy19Ch. 3Why Democracy Must Be Liberal: An Epitaph for Marxism31Ch. 4The Compromised Republic: Public Purposelessness in America41Ch. 5The Rights of We the People Are All the Rights There Are60Ch. 6Have Rights Gone Wrong? The Reconstruction of Rights79Pt. IIAmerican Practice: Leadership, Citizenship, and CensorshipCh. 7Neither Leaders nor Followers: Citizenship under Strong Democracy95Ch. 8Command Performance: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?111Ch. 9The Undemocratic Party System: Citizenship in an Elite/Mass Society119Ch. 10One Nation Indivisible or a Compact of Sovereign States? The Two Faces of Federalism134Ch. 11The Market as Censor in a World of Consumer Totalism143Pt. IIIEducation for Democracy: Civic Education, Service, and CitizenshipCh. 12Thomas Jefferson and the Education of the Citizen161Ch. 13The Civic Mission of the University178Ch. 14Service, Citizenship, and Democracy: Civic Duty as an Entailment of Civil Right187Ch. 15Cultural Conservatism and Democratic Education: Lessons from the Sixties203Ch. 16America Skips School: Why We Talk So Much about Education and Do So Little214Ch. 17Education for Democracy225Pt. IVDemocracy and Technology: Endless Frontier or End of Democracy?Ch. 18The Second American Revolution237Ch. 19Pangloss, Pandora, or Jefferson? Three Scenarios for the Future of Technology and Democracy245Ch. 20The New Telecommunications Technology: Endless Frontier or the End of Democracy?258Index283
