In his discussion, PD describes what Liberalism and Civic Republicanism are:
While Liberalism emphasizes the freedom of each individual and group to pursue those ends it deems satisfactory as long as they don't violate the harm principle, Civic Republicanism holds that citizenship requires certain virtues or skills in thinking and talking about politics, such that we are not apolitical agents but active participants interested in ongoing discussion of what constitutes the public good. Thus when the Supreme Court, for example, declares that forced sterilization is or is not in the public interest, (or the right to choose whether or not to abort), the Civic Republican idea is that there will likely be a relatively coherent societal understanding of the issue, and often enough of something like an agreement on what is right, wrong, good or bad in such cases. This follows on the assumption that a knowledgeable and active citizenry is more likely to come to meaningful agreements.
B&B orig: 6/26/19
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