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Abstract:
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Introduction
THIS BOOK IS FOR THOSE OF MY FELLOW CITIZENS WHO are tired of culture wars and hardened partisanship. (1) It is directed to those who do not believe that all truth or wisdom lies in one political camp and who do believe that we can work out a shared purpose and agenda. The book directly addresses the question of what must be done next-not merely by our national and local elected officials, but by our communities and, indeed, by ourselves.
A main thesis of this book is that center-based policies should involve much more than a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. We have learned over the last several decades that despite dominating so much of our public give-and-take and policy debates, the old opposition between statist liberalism and laissez-faire conservatism does not pay enough attention to a whole slew of issues. These all concern the body of society rather than either the state or the market; they concern our communities, culture, institutions, and values. These issues are often addressed (quite differently) by the religious right and by a new group of moderate thinkers (from which I hail) with the awkward title "communitarians." (2) This term, which draws on the concept of community, is hardly a household word, but it captures a new way of thinking about our societal issues. |