Citizenship, Virtue &amp; the Neutral State: A Search for the Private Justification of Civic Virtue

While the literature on civic virtue and its relation to the state is extensive, little to no work has been done on what justifies the development of civic virtue for the individual. This thesis will begin by arguing that civic virtue is not only compatible with an account of liberal neutrality, but that, referring to existing literature, liberal democracies require a measure of civic virtue to sustain itself. Asserting that the stare requires a level of civic virtue on behalf of its citizenry, the thesis will pose the question of what justifies developing civic virtue for the individual citizen. After first considering and rejecting two objections to justifying civic virtue in private terms categorically, the thesis considers a few variations of the argument that acquiring civic virtue is ultimately in the (enlightened) interest of the self, alongside an argument from reciprocity. The thesis will argue that none of these justifications ultimately succeed and concludes by arguing...Show moreWhile the literature on civic virtue and its relation to the state is extensive, little to no work has been done on what justifies the development of civic virtue for the individual. This thesis will begin by arguing that civic virtue is not only compatible with an account of liberal neutrality, but that, referring to existing literature, liberal democracies require a measure of civic virtue to sustain itself. Asserting that the stare requires a level of civic virtue on behalf of its citizenry, the thesis will pose the question of what justifies developing civic virtue for the individual citizen. After first considering and rejecting two objections to justifying civic virtue in private terms categorically, the thesis considers a few variations of the argument that acquiring civic virtue is ultimately in the (enlightened) interest of the self, alongside an argument from reciprocity. The thesis will argue that none of these justifications ultimately succeed and concludes by arguing that civic virtue should instead be considered as an expression of general virtues and is justified accordingly. The thesis concludes by considering the implications of this claim for how we should see our role as citizens, and how we should see the role of the state in promoting civic virtue.Show less

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Citizenship, Virtue & the Neutral State: A Search for the Private Justification of Civic Virtue