In this seminar we will look at the troubled boundary between
the value of individual liberty and the value of living in a
democracy. Within variously interpreted limits, we all cherish the
freedom to do and say what we want, and we often, not always,
acknowledge the responsibilities associated with these freedoms. But
at the same time, for most of us individual liberty is not the sole
virtue, and we also feel loyalties and commitments to our families,
our society, and our country. These considerations raise the issue of
whether our individually defined freedoms can flourish only within
the framework of a pluralistic society and a democratic political
order. If so, then what are our responsibilities to our society and
country? And what restrictions on our liberties might be warranted in
the name of the greater good?

	We will approach these questions from three related
directions. We begin with John Stuart Mill’s famous treatise, On
Liberty, and its reflection in political and social life in the
United States. We next look at the value of democracy as fostering
virtues and benefits beyond those of the particular individuals who
comprise the state. This focus leads us to explore what the
legitimate functions of a democratic state might be. We conclude with
an examination of the relationship between capitalism or “the market”
and democracy. As Charles Lindblom has noted, it is intriguing that
except in times of national peril all democracies are market
economies. But at the same time, not all market economies are
democracies. Clearly, there are at least latent tensions between the
two, the significance of which is highlighted when we consider
not “the market” as some abstract entity, but the actual power and
behavior of corporations in America today.