Summary
In his book "Democracy in America," 19th century French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville writes, "the more government stands in the place of associations, the more will individuals, losing the notion of combining together, require its assistance." De Tocqueville recognized that we are making a Faustian bargain when we buy into the political promise of material wealth and well being if only we allow government to manage our society. The promise is false and the result is to put at risk the morals and intelligence of a democratic people.
One often hears the term "personal responsibility" or "personal accountability" used in connection with people taking ownership of the consequences of some (usually bad) behavior. Indeed on the political right, the term is also understood to mean taking care of one's own business or lifting oneself up with their own bootstraps. There is truth in both definitions. However, as popularly read, both characterizations shade the idea with a negative light when in fact the idea is a positive force that, as de Tocqueville indicates, is just as much about taking care of each other as it is about taking care of ourselves.See the full content of this document
Extract
A Faustian Bargain
In his book "Democracy in America," 19th century French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville writes, "the more government stands in the place of associations, the more will individuals, losing the notion of combining together, requir...
See the full content of this document
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