No abstract

This dissertation examines whether democratic citizens are responsible for the behavior of their governments. Through careful analysis of the political theory and practice of Henry David Thoreau and Jane Addams, I demonstrate that notions of democracy that are distinctly modern in their emphasis upon plurality and individuality can instill in citizens a sense of responsibility for public life. My analysis also calls attention to several challenges that make ethical democratic citizenship a demanding undertaking. In the final chapters,

Jane Addams's approach to responsibility deserves attention from contemporary theorists, largely because it is rooted in a pragmatist understanding of democracy. As a pragmatist, Addams stresses that democracy is a "rule of living," not simply a set of political institutions. Democratically committed citizens, she argues, must share responsibility for harms arising from processes to which they are connected. They also must learn from and work with people whose experiences of these processes are different from their own. Not all of Addams's ideas have stood the test of time. Still, her pragmatist approach to responsibility is superior to those of Iris Marion Young and Jean Bethke Elshtain. An exploration of Addams's thought illuminates the limitations of Young's separation of blame and character development from the theme of shared responsibility, and suggests that Elshtain's understandings of character development will be unlikely to help citizens respond to problems that confront them.

No abstract

No abstract