The Soul of Civil Society: Voluntary Associations and the Public Value of Moral HabitsAmericans care about the public value of moral habits. They like to see virtue rewarded and vice censured, appealing as this does to the nation's deep sense that one's success rests neither in money nor in power but in one's civility. In The Soul of Civil Society Don Eberly and Ryan Streeter look beyond such abstractions as the 'voluntary sector' and superficial communitarian solutions to civic anomie to identify the pivotal role played by local voluntary associations in a civil society. Not only important for the services they provide, these 'little platoons, ' as Edmund Burke labeled them, are the public incubators of a 'new' morality, their emphasis on civic engagement at the local level central to preserving America's democratic culture on the national and international stage. More than simply championing the promise of a social renaissance, The Soul of Civil Society is essential reading for those seeking to do battle with a culturally entrenched individualism that threatens the core of America's moral vitality |
Contents
The Coming Social Renaissance Restoring Americas Civic and Moral Creed | 3 |
Toward a Human Scale Making the World Work at the Street Level | 15 |
Individuals and a Healthy Civic Order | 35 |
Voluntary Associations Public Policy and the Marketplace | 45 |
Voluntary Associations and the Remoralization of America | 47 |
Targeting Recovery to LowIncome Families | 57 |
A Humane Economy The Moral Dimensions of Enterprise | 67 |
Moral Habits and the Public Good | 83 |
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Common terms and phrases
action activity American society Amitai Etzioni authority basic become behavior believe benevolence C. S. Lewis century challenge character charitable tax credit charities churches cities citizens citizenship civic renewal civil society committed Compassionate conservatism concerns corporate create cultivate culture Daniel Yankelovich debate democracy democratic Don Eberly Drucker economic effective Elshtain enterprise ethics example faith-based federal forms Fund Gertrude Himmelfarb Golden Rule growing human scale important individuals institutions James Q Jean Bethke Elshtain Jobs Partnership Judith Martin justice leaders learned live low-income manners Mark Caldwell ment merely moral habits movement neighborhood nity nonprofit organizations parents percent philosophical political poor poverty practice problems programs reform religious responsibility restraint role Röpke says schools serve ServiceMaster soci social capital social sector success things tion trend trust universal urban values virtue voluntary associations voluntary sector volunteer Washington welfare Wilberforce York