Democratic Temperament

Democratic Temperament

Author: Joshua I. Miller

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2021-10-08

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 0700631666

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Nineteenth-century psychologist and pragmatist philosopher William James is rarely considered a political theorist. Renowned as the author of The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience, James is often viewed as a radical individualist with no interest in politics; yet he was a critic of imperialism and absolutism and an advocate of tolerance, and his writing includes a penetrating analysis of political psychology. This first book by a political theorist devoted exclusively to James's theory argues that political concerns were in fact central to his intellectual work. Joshua Miller links James to the contemporary public dialogue by treating him as a theorist of action and exploring the complexities of that theory. He also relates the philosopher's thought to his own political experiences and observations and-by explicating, criticizing, and meditating on James-develops provocative new ideas about issues facing democracy today. At the heart of the book is James's description of the "democratic temperament," which comprises a willingness to act, the placing of public good ahead of private comfort, generosity toward one's opponents, and mutual respect among citizens of different viewpoints, races, genders, classes, and religions. Miller sees this temperament as a healthy corrective to the meanspiritedness that characterizes so much current political discourse, which is precisely what makes James's insights so relevant to today's political environment. By revealing how James speaks to the paradoxical condition of modern political existence—withdrawal from public life combined with fanatical action—Miller shows how James's views apply to the possibility and problems of reviving participatory democracy in our era. Scholars who have never considered the political aspects of James's work will find in this study a new way of approaching him and of reconsidering radical democracy, while readers unfamiliar with James will find it a highly accessible introduction to a significant aspect of his thought. Democratic Temperament clearly shows that James deserves to be read not only for his recognized genius but also for his fresh and unexpected insights into the possibilities and paradoxes of American democratic political consciousness.


William James on Democratic Individuality

William James on Democratic Individuality

Author: Stephen S. Bush

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-11-16

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1107135958

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A study of William James' philosophy of democracy and pluralism, and its relevance to modern debates.


William James on Democratic Individuality

William James on Democratic Individuality

Author: Stephen S. Bush

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-01-11

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1108515320

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

William James (1842–1910) argued for a philosophy of democracy and pluralism that advocates individual and collective responsibility for our social arrangements, our morality, and our religion. In James' view, democracy resides first and foremost not in governmental institutions or in procedures such as voting, but rather in the characteristics of individuals, and in qualities of mind and conduct. It is a philosophy for social change, counselling action and hope despite the manifold challenges facing democratic politics, and these issues still resonate strongly today. In this book, Stephen Bush explores how these themes connect to James' philosophy of religion, his moral thought, his epistemology, his psychology, and his metaphysics. His fresh and original study highlights the relevance of James' thought to modern debates, and will appeal to scholars and students of moral and political philosophy.


Education and Democratic Citizenship in America

Education and Democratic Citizenship in America

Author: Norman H. Nie

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1996-11-15

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9780226583891

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Education affects these two dimensions in distinct ways, influencing democratic enlightenment through cognitive proficiency and sophistication, and political engagement through position in social networks. For characteristics of enlightenment, formal education simply adds to the degree to which citizens support and are knowledgeable about democratic principles.


Disrespectful Democracy

Disrespectful Democracy

Author: Emily Sydnor

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-10-08

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 0231548257

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The majority of Americans think that politics has an “incivility problem” and that this problem is only getting worse. Research demonstrates that negativity and rudeness in politics have been increasing for decades. But how does this tide of impolite-to-outrageous language affect our reactions to media coverage and our political behavior? Disrespectful Democracy offers a new account of the relationship between incivility and political behavior based on a key individual predisposition—conflict orientation. Individuals experience conflict in different ways; some enjoy arguments while others are uncomfortable and avoid confrontation. Drawing on a range of original surveys and experiments, Emily Sydnor contends that the rise of incivility in political media has transformed political involvement. Citizens now need to be able to tolerate or even welcome incivility in the public sphere in order to participate in the democratic process. Yet individuals who are turned off by incivility are not brought back in by civil presentation of issues. Sydnor considers the challenges in evaluating incivility’s normative benefits and harms to the political system: despite some detrimental aspects, certain levels of incivility in certain venues can promote political engagement, and confrontational behavior can be a vital tool in the citizen’s democratic arsenal. A rigorous and empirically informed analysis of political rhetoric and behavior, Disrespectful Democracy also proposes strategies to engage citizens across the range of conflict orientations.


Democracy, Intelligent Design, and Evolution

Democracy, Intelligent Design, and Evolution

Author: Susan P. Liebell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-05

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 1136016325

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Should alternatives to evolution be taught in American public schools or rejected as an establishment of religion? Democracy, Intelligent Design, and Evolution argues that accurate science education helps shape a democratic temperament. Rather than defending against Intelligent Design as religion, citizens should defend science education as crucial to three aspects of the democratic person: political citizenship, economic fitness, and moral choice. Through an examination of Tammy Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District, contemporary political theory, and foundational American texts, this volume provides an alternative jurisprudence and political vocabulary urging American liberalism to embrace science for citizenship.


Soul of a Democrat

Soul of a Democrat

Author: Thomas B. Reston

Publisher: All Points Books

Published: 2018-05-29

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1250176050

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A brief history of the Democratic Party and the national ideals it has abandoned over time, thus losing its working class base—and its soul.


Democracy and National Identity in Thailand

Democracy and National Identity in Thailand

Author: Michael Kelly Connors

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 0415272300

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"The book will be fascinating reading for Southeast Asia specialists, and researchers on democratization, national identity and the politics of Thailand."--BOOK JACKET.


Democracy on Trial

Democracy on Trial

Author: Jean Bethke Elshtain

Publisher: House of Anansi

Published: 1993-11-08

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 0887848540

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Is democracy as we know it in danger? More and more we confront one another as aggrieved groups rather than as free citizens. Deepening cynicism, the growth of corrosive individualism, statism, and the loss of civil society are warning signs that democracy may be incapable of satisfying the yearnings it itself unleashes - yearnings for freedom, fairness, and equality. In her 1993 CBC Massey Lectures, political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain delves into these complex issues to evaluate democracy's chances for survival.


Philosophy & this Actual World

Philosophy & this Actual World

Author: Martin Benjamin

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780742513990

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Academic philosophy has become so technical and inbred that it often fails to connect with the questions and concerns of educated nonspecialists. Martin Benjamin aims to bridge this gap. Presupposing little or no formal background, Philosophy & This Actual World addresses general questions of knowledge, reality, mind, will, and ethics, as well as more specific questions about moral pluralism, assisted suicide, the nature of death, and life's meaning. At the same time, it incorporates the advances of academic philosophers like Wittgenstein, Rorty, Putnam, and Rawls, making it equally as valuable to the scholar as to the philosophically uninitiated.