Abstract

In this dissertation, I argue that a conception of deliberative and participatory democracy, which I call "strong democracy", arose in twentieth century American political philosophy as a response to wide-spread political apathy and alienation. Strong democratic theory maintains that political alienation is, in part, a reaction by Americans to the tension between liberal representative government and rapid economic and cultural modernization. Strong democrats argue that this alienation can be overcome by reconstructing modern society as a self-governing community of citizens that develops its politics and conception of the common good from deliberative discussions within and among various voluntary associations in the sphere of civil society. In Chapter One, I examine Josiah Royce's attempt to develop principles of deliberative dialogue that can adjudicate disputes among different voluntary associations, allowing them to enlarge their group self-interest to include considerations of the welfare of the greater community to which they belong. Chapter Two examines the work of Mary Parker Follett, who proposed the idea of urban neighborhood democracy in which citizens can gather in neighborhood organizations and deliberate with one another about local issues. Follett argues for integrating these local organizations and their new politics with representative law-making bodies at both state and national levels. Chapter Three examines the debate during the 1920s among Follett, Walter Lippmann, and John Dewey over the proper role of citizen and expert opinion in politics that precipitated a move in American politics away from public participation and toward the idea of public policy development by intellectuals and political elites. Chapters Four and Five examine how the tradition of strong democracy was revitalized by the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Michael Walzer, who both move away from an emphasis on articulating principles and procedures of deliberation toward a concentration on the social and economic conditions that are necessary for deliberative politics in the United States. I conclude this dissertation by suggesting ways in which the conception of a deliberative civil society can be used as a model for the governance of nongovernmental associations that are attempting to reign in the processes of globalization.