Renewing America’s Civic Compact

Book excerpt: The essays in this volume address the chief challenges and principal tensions in the operation of our civil society in order to consider possible paths forward. Discussion opens with a diagnostic analysis of what presently ails American public life and then turns to address various tensions. These include meritocracy, multiculturalism, issues of race, technology, and populist nationalism in American democracy today. A number of authors address the condition of civil conversation within the university and across American society. The collection then engages debates over the continued relevance and durability of liberal ideas and institutions; whether we have accessible means and resources to channel digital technology more fruitfully for the sake of human achievement and well-being; and how some have endeavored to revitalize the American civic vocation through both scholarly and practical education. Finally, the volume closes with a call to restore civic friendship, properly understood, as the foundation for renewing America’s civic compact.