Fear, Greed, Civic Virtue and the Fall of the Elites
Members of America’s founding generation had an ambivalent and evolving understanding of the role and importance of public or civic “virtue.”
In the 1760s and 1770s, many of them believed in a republican idea that made civic virtue the cornerstone of any republic, where the anchor of republican government was the virtue of the free citizenry, not well-designed constitutions or legal accountability.
By the late 1780s, however, many were developing a more pragmatic view of human nature, focusing on creating systems to counterbalance greed, the drive for power, and other negative aspects of human nature.
The anchor of republican government wasn’t well-designed constitutions or legal accountability. It was the virtue of the free citizenry.
Author summary: America's founding generation understood civic virtue as a cornerstone of republic government.
More News
- Trustees place baseball park project on hold
- We cannot sit back to AI
- Vampire Survivors Gets Free Balatro Ante Chamber DLC
- Building a stable ‘abode of thought’: Kant’s rules for virtuous thinking
- Why China’s “Taiwan Reunification” Shibboleth Is a Hoax
- MIOSHA Offers Matching Grants to Help Small Businesses Improve Workplace Safety -- Occupational Health & Safety
- Tomago Aluminium is more than just a smelter, it's a strategic asset
- Judge extends block on government shutdown layoffs - Roll Call