The perils of prosperity

Article Abstract:

Alexis de Tocqueville expresses the view in 'Democracy in America' that, if people ever become content with material goods, they may gradually lose the art of producing them. He believes that a system of natural liberty encourages people to improve their material condition through their own work. This work will make people care about their long-term prospects and thus become more ambitious. Governments must not act as a barrier to the incentives and penalties supplied by a system of natural liberty. If people are permitted to learn from their mistakes, a system of natural liberty will encourage their concern for the future. Tocqueville relied on the desire for prosperity to teach people to seek deferred gratification.

Materialism

---

War and foreign policy, American-style

Article Abstract:

Alexis de Tocqueville demonstrated a remarkable ability to understand the novel nature of the US experience and to predict its universal relevance to the developing democratic era. However, he also made some dogmatic misjudgments. In particular, his views on the character and role of the military in a democracy are misguided. He placed strong emphasis on what he saw as the basic contradiction between the core values of a democratic society and the demands of a martial spirit. He was very pessimistic about the ability of a democracy to conduct a rational foreign policy.

Military policy

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The world after Florida. It's foreign policy, stupid. Bush alone
• Abstracts: At the gates of Europe. The truth and fiction about (Turkey's) human rights politics
• Abstracts: The "Ten Articles" of April 6 and the renewed publication of the "May 16 Communique". Drafting the "May 16 Circular"
• Abstracts: The march of equality. Women, equality, and the family. "Stateness" First
• Abstracts: Federalism and the Euro-polity. Do economists know best? The judiciary and the rule of law

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.