Democracy and Authenticity

Download or read book Democracy and Authenticity written by Howard H. Schweber and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-31 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Democracy and Authenticity Professor Howard Schweber examines a basic problem for liberal democracies. When a political entity is characterized by a multitude of identities and values, certain constraints apply to reasons for citizens and public officials to justify coercive political actions. The author argues that justifications based on particular religious doctrines are not a proper basis for government actions that affect everyone. He then develops a concept of public justification intended to guide citizens in a liberal democracy through the work of creating policies that satisfy their responsibilities to one another.