Democracy in Moderation: Montesquieu, Tocqueville, and Sustainable Liberalism - Softcover

Carrese, Paul O.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107548365 ISBN 13: 9781107548367

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2018

Synopsis

Democracy in Moderation views constitutional liberal democracy as grounded in a principle of avoiding extremes and striking the right balance among its defining principles of liberty, equality, religion, and sustainable order, thus tempering tendencies toward sectarian excess. Such moderation originally informed liberal democracy, but now is neglected. Moderation can guide us intellectually and practically about domestic and foreign policy debates, but also serve the sustainability of the constitutional, liberal republic as a whole. Our recent theory thus doesn't help our practice, given our concerns about polarization and sectarianism in ideas, policy, and politics. A rediscovery of Montesquieu and his legacy in shaping America's complex political order, including influence on Washington's practical moderation and Tocqueville's philosophical moderation, addresses these enduring theoretical and practical problems. Moderation also offers a deeper theory of leadership or statesmanship, particularly regarding religion and politics, and of foreign policy and strategy rooted in liberal democracy's first principles.

About this title

About the Author

Paul O. Carrese is Professor of Political Science at the United States Air Force Academy. He has been a Rhodes Scholar, research fellow at Harvard University, Massachusetts, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Delhi, and a Fellow of the James Madison Program, Princeton University, New Jersey.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107548365
• ISBN 13: 9781107548367
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 244