Course Details
9802: The Ethics of Democracy
February 5-7
1:45 PM -
3:15 PM
In-Person
Is there an ethics of democracy? What, if anything, do members of a democracy owe to each other? Respect? Truthfulness? Civility? Tolerance? Is there, in fact, an ethics of democracy that binds its participants? Are constitutions and laws alone enough to secure a democracy, or are other ethical, historical, and cultural elements also necessary? We will explore these questions through a reading of portions of Reinhold Niebuhr’s mid-century classic, The Children of Light and The Children of Darkness: A Vindication of Democracy and a Critique of Its Traditional Defense (1947) along with other supplemental readings.
Class Type: Reading and Discussion
Class Format: In-Person
Hours of Reading: 1-2 hours/session
Study Group Leader(s):
Brad ShingletonA retired attorney, Bradley Shingleton has authored the book Modern Protestantism and Positive Law and several articles on law, ethics, and religion. He is a graduate of Duke University Law School and Harvard Divinity School.
Reading List:
The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness: A Vindication of Democracy... (Reinhold Niebuhr) | 2011: University of Chicago Press | ISBN: 978-022658400 | Required