Citizenship and Civic Life

Political Values

Cosmopolitan Political Values

Voice and Political Representation for all (not just states, not just “citizens” in exclusive sense)

Emphasis on process of decision making

Community

Peace (Kant’s Perpetual Peace)

Brought about universal agreement on peace, freedom, tolerance, equality, recognition

American Political Values

American exceptionalism?

review Needleman here

Individualism, self-reliance, boot-strapping

Tolerance, right to be different?

Freedom from government coercion AND tyranny of the majority

Your political values

Why is important for a citizen to know and to be able to articulate his/her political values?

Political culture

Consists of values

But also attitudes, beliefs and behaviors

That allow these values to be expressed, realized

American Political Values

What values undergird American political culture?

Think about our political history, our mythology, our stories about ourselves, our nation’s developent

Our political ideals

What do we venerate, cherish?

I. Freedom

Right of every person to be as free as possible

Freedom as autonomy

Freedom to act

Freedom to be self-actualizing

Personal freedom

Freedom of conscience

Especially of religious belief

Economic freedom

Cultural freedom???

à pluralism

diversity

tolerance

II. Equality

Political equality

Legal equality

Social equality?

Economic equality?

III. Competition

Meritocracy the goal

IV. Hard work

(disdain for laziness; for those who need help)

“the deserving poor”

V. Self Reliance

“God helps those who help themselves.”

VI. Individualism

Look out for #1

Disdain for social conformity

Need to be different, rebel

Assert oneself

VII. Prosperity

Upward mobility

Economic growth

VIII. Progress

Faith in human reason

Science to solve our problems

Make life better

Human capacity for innovation

IX. Other values important to portions of US society but not as widely held as those above

Diversity

Related to pluralism but do most Americans really value it?

Our behavior shows otherwise

Likewise with tolerance

Social solidarity

The responsibility to care for the weaker members of society

How best to do this

Voluntarism/charity

Public support (i.e., the state)

Self-Reliance

the Family

Patriotism/Nationalism/National Pride

Deeply felt, very important to some

A dangerous thing to others

Global Political Values

Cosmopolitanism

Humanism, human rights

Democracy

Peace

Environmentalism

Globalism (anti-nationalism)

Your political values?