In Liberal Education and Democratic Citizenship, Michael H. McCarthy carefully describes the crises confronting American democracy, identifying their philosophical, cultural, and institutional origins to show how liberal education—properly understood—can respond to these crises effectively. The chapters explore the sources, areas, and levels of division in contemporary America and how they have created important disagreements within the major challenges that we face today; what a liberation education is and why it is important; the complex relationship between effective freedom and modern economic and political liberalism; the importance of effective freedom to a free, just, and inclusive democracy; the challenges the modern cultural predicament creates for civic education; Alexis de Tocqueville’s critical retrieval and William Galston’s critical dismantling strategies; the profound civic implications of important cultural changes within American democracy; and the three most influential stories that have shaped our educational practices and aspirations. By addressing these issues, McCarthy provides insight into how we can rectify these challenges effectively through speech and conduct in order to foster, prize, and reliably exercise the essential virtues of a liberal and democratic education.
