Abstract

I argue that Emile Durkheim forges a powerful, pluralistic moral vocabulary, drawing from a variety of moral models. I interpret Durkheim as a political and moral philosopher who articulates the benefits traditionally associated with classical liberalism--such as the dignity and rights of the individual--within the vocabulary of communitarianism . He provides a normative model for modern democratic societies which is neither laissez-faire liberal nor communitarian. This provocative model has been informed by lessons learned from his religious investigations. He comes to see the sacred as shared beliefs and practices which promote moral community. Various liberal values such as individual rights, according to Durkheim, have acquired "sacred status" as they have become "grounded" in our Western moral communities. By construing moral individualism as a social ideal, produced by normative traditions, Durkheim gains critical leverage on those forms of liberalism based on the Enlightenment's "autonomous individual" and on those forms of communitarianism based on majoritarian consensus. ;Under Durkheim's tutelage, I explore the prospect of moral discourse and of social harmony within a liberal, pluralistic society. This exploration leads me into a variety of issues and subjects: moral individualism, moral education, pluralistic moral vocabularies, and diverse communities harmoniously integrated. Yes, a multitude of issues, but they are joined by a single thread: Durkheim's ability to mediate the concerns and sensibilities of classical liberalism and communitarianism. ;An abiding theme in the dissertation is Durkheim's concept of moral individualism. Moral individualism is a social ethic which voices and promotes the dignity and rights of the individual in the moral idiom of social traditions and commitment to a common good. It is a dynamic piece of social criticism. Probing the features of collective life, it provides incisive commentary on and appraisal of various forms of liberalism and communitarianism