Civic participation and democracy are widely discussed issues. However, motivations for a citizen to actually participate are rarely presented. The present thesis will defend the notion of engaged citizenship as an attitude of habitual interest and care in relation to an individual's political community. It is to follow public concerns and discourse with an active mind and actual action if seen necessary. Further, the desirability of engaged citizenship in a democratic context will be vindicated, and its necessity for a participatory deliberative democratic system will be explicated.
Moreover, it will be argued that engaged citizenship and participatory democracy mutually condition each other. In this context, the thesis aims to provide incentives for the individual citizen to engage with his or her political community and social as well as natural environment. Guided by a Wittgensteinian and Habermasian framework, the democratic state is interpreted not only as a form of governance, but also as a reciprocal mode of political life that stays in need to be supported by an engaged citizenry. In order to put these aims into practise, the work public schools as well as private forms of civic engagement play a vital role.
Table of Contents
1) Preliminary Thoughts
2) Engaged Citizenship and Normativity
a) Merits and Motives seen through the Lenses of a Political Community
b) Individual Steps facilitated
3) Reciprocity and Deliberative Participatory Democracy
a) Reciprocity: Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson
b) Participatory Conceptions of Democracy and Private Autonomy: Jürgen Habermas and David Held
4) Contentions
5) Concluding Thoughts
6) Works Cited
7) Appendix
a) Tocqueville on the 'tyranny of the majority' in the American model of democratic state
b) On the Kantian conception of a state in its relation to the citizen (Metaphysik der Sitten §45-49)
Objectives & Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to vindicate the concept of engaged citizenship as a necessary attitude for a functional, reciprocal, and participatory democratic system. The author explores how individuals can relate to their political community through habitual interest and active engagement, moving beyond mere legal status to foster a more inclusive and deliberative political culture.
- The definition of citizenship as a practice of engagement and habitual care.
- The interdependency between individual attitudes and the democratic political framework.
- The role of civic education and critical thinking in developing public-spiritedness.
- Institutional models for participatory democracy, drawing on the theories of Habermas, Held, Gutmann, and Thompson.
- The legitimacy of civil disobedience as a response to systemic issues.
Excerpt from the Book
b) Individual Steps facilitated
As mentioned in chapter one, all reasoning must be seen as subjective, yet with an objective aspiration (cf. Habermas [1998] 34-35). Their subjectiveness stems from the inevitably intrinsic nature of normativity, characterised as a motivating conviction acquired through the processual interplay of various modes of living. Modes of living generate themselves through our material and cultural context – and very decisively also through the way we speak of the world, which in turn modifies the way we see and interact with the world. In order to make this claim intelligible, we must take a detour and elaborate upon the ethical implications of Wittgenstein's early as well as late philosophy. The implicit further claim of a life-long continuation and relative stability of Wittgenstein's (meta-)ethical positions will equally be illuminated.
In essence, in interpreting Wittgenstein's metaethics under the paradigm of his well known theory of forms of life or language games respectively, we may reach at the following: as there are different forms of life, so there are various ethical systems, since the 'ethical' is understood not as a normative moral ideal (cf. PU §77, Barrett 256), but as a way or form of life generally. What we say, how we act, is our ethics (cf. PU §241, Mersch 151). Depending on which language-game a person or group accepts, a corresponding form of life is thereby embraced, or, enacted. A particular form of life is guided by values specific to this particular systemic form. Forms of life exist on multiple layers: the form of life of an individual is embedded, framed by the more general form of life of a group or community. The different forms interact, and thereby provide the ground for a Habermasian-style discursive formation of normativity in life (non-discursive) and world (discursive). If a systemic form of life, i.e. a more general group- or community-spread convention, loses support, then it may be overcome and replaced by another form of convention.
Summary of Chapters
1) Preliminary Thoughts: This chapter frames the core notions of engaged citizenship and participatory democracy, introducing the idea of vindication versus justification within a Wittgensteinian and Habermasian context.
2) Engaged Citizenship and Normativity: This section explores the motivations for civic engagement and the role of schools and education in fostering the public-spiritedness necessary for a reciprocal political community.
3) Reciprocity and Deliberative Participatory Democracy: This chapter examines the institutional and theoretical frameworks for democracy provided by Gutmann, Thompson, Habermas, and Held, focusing on how mutual respect can sustain a deliberative process.
4) Contentions: The author addresses criticisms of deliberative democracy, synthesizes various theoretical models, and discusses the role of representation and environmental concerns within a participatory system.
5) Concluding Thoughts: The final chapter summarizes the thesis, reaffirming that affirmation of engaged citizenship is an essential statement on how we choose to live in a political community.
6) Works Cited: A comprehensive bibliography of the philosophical and political texts referenced throughout the thesis.
7) Appendix: Provides historical context through Tocqueville's observations on the tyranny of the majority and Kant's conception of the state's relationship to the citizen.
Keywords
Engaged Citizenship, Participatory Democracy, Deliberative Democracy, Habermas, Wittgenstein, Reciprocity, Civic Education, Public Reason, Political Community, Constitutional Patriotism, Civil Disobedience, Normativity, Social Responsibility, Citizenship Identity, Political Culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental premise of the work?
The work argues that democracy cannot function solely as an institutional framework; it requires an active, engaged citizenry that possesses an attitude of habitual interest and care towards the political community.
What are the core thematic fields of this thesis?
The central themes include the ethics of citizenship, the necessity of reciprocal discourse, the systemic requirements for a participatory democracy, and the critical role of education in forming civic virtues.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The primary goal is to provide a philosophical vindication for engaged citizenship, demonstrating its necessity for the sustainability of a participatory, deliberative democratic system.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The thesis utilizes a philosophical and normative approach, synthesizing frameworks from thinkers like Wittgenstein, Habermas, Kymlicka, and Held to analyze and define the relationship between individual autonomy and public deliberation.
What topics are explored in the main body?
The main body examines the interplay between political systems and individual attitudes, the role of education in shaping these attitudes, and specific institutional arrangements that facilitate deliberative and representative participation.
Which keywords best characterize this thesis?
Engaged Citizenship, Participatory Democracy, Habermasian framework, civic education, constitutional patriotism, and reciprocal politics are the defining concepts.
How does the author distinguish between 'society' and 'political community'?
The author characterizes 'society' as a loose assemblage of atomistic individuals focused on private concerns, whereas a 'political community' involves individuals who regard themselves as commonly grounded and share a habitual care for their shared social and natural environment.
Why does the author advocate for 'vindication' rather than 'justification'?
The author argues that 'justification' implies a universal, water-tight necessity, which is unattainable. Instead, a 'vindication' expresses a desideratum—an affirmative stance on a specific normative ideal that gains validity through intersubjective discourse.
- Quote paper
- Julius Bertz (Author), 2015, Vindicating Engaged Citizenship and Participatory Democracy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/323644
