Remembering the Roman Republic:
Can America Reclaim Civic Virtue?
Civic Virtue: The willingness of the individual to subordinate himself or herself to the good of the community as a whole, a concept of fundamental importance to the Greeks, Romans, and Founders of our country.
(—J. Rufus Fears, David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics and
G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Freedom, University of Oklahoma)
The history of Rome—especially, the republic’s rise to greatness and its eventual demise—serve to guide and warn modern Americans about the core necessity of civic virtue to the life of a healthy and vibrant republic.
The Roman Republic steadily dissolved as it lost these values. Unless it changes course, the American Republic will lose its greatness as well, becoming a shadow of what was or might have been.
Is it too late for us? Or, can we still learn from the Roman experience, and so avoid its fate? Can we evoke civic virtue in a way that is plagued neither by cynicism nor naiveté? And, despite an atmosphere of contention, can we experience an American renewal?
matthewmarkandluke.com
Call me a skeptic...
less_skeptical |
