Faith in man -- Democratic transformation -- Democracy as trial : toward a critique of democratic faith -- Protagoras unbound : the democratic mythology of Protagoras's "great speech" -- Civil religion and the democratic faith of Rousseau -- American faith : the translation of religious faith to democratic faith -- "A pattern laid up in heaven" : Plato's democratic ideal -- The only permanent state : Tocqueville on religion and democracy -- Hope in America : the chastened faith of Reinhold Niebuhr and Christopher Lasch -- Conclusion : a model of democratic charity
Summary
The American political reformer Herbert Croly wrote, "For better or worse, democracy cannot be disentangled from an aspiration toward human perfectibility." Democratic Faith is at once a trenchant analysis and a powerful critique of this underlying assumption that informs democratic theory. Patrick Deneen argues that among democracy's most ardent supporters there is an oft-expressed belief in the need to "transform" human beings in order to reconcile the sometimes disappointing reality of human self-interest with the democratic ideal of selfless commitment
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-360) and index
