Republican civic virtue, enlightened self-interest and Tocqueville

Abstract

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. KeywordsTocqueville, enlightened self-interest, civic virtue, neo-republicanism, ViroliAlexis de Tocqueville argued in Democracy in America that a crucial link existed between associations and a vibrant public sphere. A number of political theorists have interpreted this to mean that local political associations and civil society foster civic virtue, and virtuous citizens, as Tocqueville allegedly said, defend freedom against the constant threat of despotism. The problem is that such a reading especially in neo-republicanism rests on a misinterpretation of what Tocqueville says about the kind of citizen -or more specifically the motivation of individuals to participate in the public sphere -on which freedom depends. For Tocqueville, American democracy departed from a republican notion of civic virtue. This becomes evident upon examination of his concept of enlightened self-interest,

Strengthening Citizenship Socio-Cultural Movement in the Environmental Field Through Lorong Garden Program in Makassar

“…Through this program of socio-cultural movement, is expected to strengthen the attitude of volunteerism as a form of moral effort to overcome the problems in the field of environment without accompanied by the existence of personal interests, but arise by itself. As according to Tocqueville and Constant [23], the apathy of citizens tends to lead democracy in a worse direction.…”

Enhancing Social Cohesion where Festival as a Media, is it Possible?

“…Citizen civilization is a guide for every individual and society to be able to actively participate in daily life and be responsible as a member of society. Government, social capital and civilization are an integral part [12], meaning that all components must be able to work together well and create a better society [13,14,15] and wiser [16]. The citizen's credibility which should be done is how citizens have a sense of responsibility.…”

Enhancing Society Civic Virtue Through Awareness of Traffic Dicipline

“…The virtues of citizens are the result of customs and practices. Virtue refers to the quality of that character built through the performance of a particular practice [9].…”