Public Vision, Private Lives: Rousseau, Religion, and 21st-Century Democracy

by Mark S. Cladis

Overview

Listening closely to the religious pitch in Rousseau's voice, Cladis convincingly shows that Rousseau, when attempting to portray the most characteristic aspects of the public and private, reached for a religious vocabulary. Honoring both love of self and love of that which is larger than the self—these twin poles, with all the tension between them—mark Rousseau's work, vision and challenge—the challenge of 21st-century democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195125542
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/27/2003
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	1320L (what's this?)

About the Author

Mark S. Cladis is professor and chair of religious studies at Brown University. He has taught at the University of North Carolina, Stanford University, and Vassar College, where he served as chair. He is the editor of two books and the author of A Communitarian Defense of Liberalism: Emile Durgakheim and Contemporary Social Theory.

Table of Contents

Preface     xi
Acknowledgments     xvii
Religion, Democracy, and Modernity: The Case for Progressive Spiritual Democracy     xxi
Preparing for the Journey: An Introduction     3
From the Garden to the City: The Tragic Passage
Nature's Garden     35
Revisiting the Garden's Solitaires     44
From the Garden to the Blessed Country: The Precarious Passage     52
The Rush to Slavery     64
The City: Life in the Ousted Condition     79
Overcoming Moral Evil: Rousseau at the Crossroads     100
Paths to Redemption
Reforming the City: The Extreme Public Path     125
Evading the City: The Private Path     154
The Mountain Village: The Path to Family, Work, Community, and Love     172
Reconciling Citizen and Solitaire: Religious Dimensions of the Middle Way     187
Residual Conflict: Democracy and Ineluctable Friction     214
Conclusion: A Way Forward: Rousseau and 21st-century Democracy     229
Notes     249
Works Cited     279
Index     285

What People are Saying About This

Jeffrey Stout

This is the most important discussion of the conflicts between public and private life yet written by a specialist in modern religious thought. The writing is clear and vigorous; the thinking is careful and well informed throughout. A wonderful book.

— Jeffrey Stout, professor of religion, Princeton University

Editorial Reviews

"Recommended." - Choice

Choice

"...engaging, insightful, and challenging."—Journal of the American Academy of Religion

From the Publisher