The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government (16 page)
Authors: Eric Liu,Nick Hanauer
Tags: #Political Science, #Political Ideologies, #Democracy, #History & Theory, #General
BOOK: The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government
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We have been depicting, in short, a grown-up version of freedom. What does freedom mean? Only children and other immature people truly believe that it means only “I get to do whatever I want.” Only the immature believe that a slogan like “Don’t tread on me” makes any restriction tyrannical. Adults know that limiting some of our own freedom on the margins enables us—is the
only
thing that enables us—to enjoy more and better freedom at the core. No high-functioning family, sports club, business, or country governs itself by letting people just do what they want. No high-functioning person governs himself that way either. Cooperation more than autonomy makes winners. We give up taxes, time, and license. We get the security, infrastructure, and rules that enable success. Freedom isn’t free. It costs a little freedom.
only
thing that enables us—to enjoy more and better freedom at the core. No high-functioning family, sports club, business, or country governs itself by letting people just do what they want. No high-functioning person governs himself that way either. Cooperation more than autonomy makes winners. We give up taxes, time, and license. We get the security, infrastructure, and rules that enable success. Freedom isn’t free. It costs a little freedom.
Freedom is also what enables each of us and all of us to adapt, to evolve: to make progress. History teaches us that great civilizations usually succumb to sclerosis, paralysis, and decay in the face of change. American civilization has a built-in advantage, which is that we are adaptive by design. But nothing is foreordained. If we remain wedded to fixed ideologies that ignore our pressing needs, all of our American can-do spirit will be for naught. If we push for a politics of independent thinking, we may yet find a way to fulfill America’s promise. It’s entirely our choice. We reap what we sow.
Well into the 21st century now—long past our battles against tyrannical kings, many generations since the closing of our frontier, a century since new forms of industrial capitalism concentrated power and wealth in ways that diminished our civic equality—Americans would do well to remember that teamwork is what we need for this diverse nation to be greater than the sum of its individual parts.
This is not just our wish and our ideal. We are, in making this case, being relentlessly pragmatic—not pragmatism as cynical calculation but pragmatism as a method of assessing
what works.
This is another great American tradition: rejecting ideology for ideology’s sake and remembering always that the value of a value is simply whether it leads to good outcomes for the society. Values are not opinions; they are, in essence, facts. That is, they have consequences. The actual, empirical consequences of libertarian selfishness and atomization are disaster. The ultimate measure of a value system should be
Does it work for us
? We have tried to show in these pages that as a matter of scientific theory and real experience, libertarian ideas of market, citizenship, and state do not work any better than statist, command-and-control ideas.
what works.
This is another great American tradition: rejecting ideology for ideology’s sake and remembering always that the value of a value is simply whether it leads to good outcomes for the society. Values are not opinions; they are, in essence, facts. That is, they have consequences. The actual, empirical consequences of libertarian selfishness and atomization are disaster. The ultimate measure of a value system should be
Does it work for us
? We have tried to show in these pages that as a matter of scientific theory and real experience, libertarian ideas of market, citizenship, and state do not work any better than statist, command-and-control ideas.
So God bless the American individual. And God bless the American team that enables the individual to thrive. We do not accept a false choice between individual rights and collective responsibility. We say you can have both. You can’t have either
unless
you have both. And to win, you
must
have both. With inalienable rights come inalienable responsibilities.
unless
you have both. And to win, you
must
have both. With inalienable rights come inalienable responsibilities.
There is a notion—embodied today by the Tea Partiers—that the real meaning of the Revolution was that all government is tyranny, that collective action is collectivism and therefore oppressive. But the reality of the Revolution and of the intellectual, moral, and political atmosphere that yielded it is that our nation’s founders were formed by a philosophy of freedom as mutual obligation—of
rights as duties.
Thomas Jefferson understood, when he wrote the Declaration, that to be free means to be bound to others, that to look out for oneself means attending to others. The entire colonial experience—to say nothing of the interregnum between independence and ratification—teaches us one thing: When it’s every man (or state) for himself, no one stays free for very long. Freedom is just another word for
we’re all in it together.
If it is to mean anything, freedom must mean responsibility. In the end, freedom
is
responsibility.
rights as duties.
Thomas Jefferson understood, when he wrote the Declaration, that to be free means to be bound to others, that to look out for oneself means attending to others. The entire colonial experience—to say nothing of the interregnum between independence and ratification—teaches us one thing: When it’s every man (or state) for himself, no one stays free for very long. Freedom is just another word for
we’re all in it together.
If it is to mean anything, freedom must mean responsibility. In the end, freedom
is
responsibility.
As Jefferson and his cohort passed from the scene, the second generation of United States citizens—leaders like Daniel Webster—came to the fore. They had been infants during the Revolution and thus were its first true inheritors. They had to sustain the republican ideals of their ancestors at a time when a grand chase for wealth had begun to define national purpose. Though we may idolize the Founders and Framers, it is to Webster’s generation that every American since has had the closest relation. It falls to us, as it fell to them, to decide: with independence long achieved, can we now do the daily work of interdependence? Can we mature, as a people, and claim
freedom to
as much as
freedom from
? Can we make democracy work? Can we adapt to the great challenges of our time or will we fail?
freedom to
as much as
freedom from
? Can we make democracy work? Can we adapt to the great challenges of our time or will we fail?
We are all second generation Americans. Great seeds have been sown for us. Let us now tend, with wisdom and humility, the gardens of our democracy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OUR AIM IN THIS BOOK was to extend the arguments being made across the sciences about the deep nature of systems and people to the civic sphere. It’s our strong belief that these new insights will ultimately radically reshape politics, economics, and our theory of government.
As such, if we’ve made a contribution at all, it is one of synthesis and interpretation, not original scholarship. Without the scholarship and research of many other people, this book would have been impossible.
No one was more influential in this regard than our friend Eric Beinhocker, author of
The Origin of Wealth.
Eric’s work was essential to our thinking. His patience with our questions and his shaping of our manuscript were above and beyond the call of duty.
The Origin of Wealth.
Eric’s work was essential to our thinking. His patience with our questions and his shaping of our manuscript were above and beyond the call of duty.
We were deeply influenced by conversations with many other scholars. Jenna Bednar, Francis Fukuyama, Jon Haidt, Mike Lind, Jeff Madrick, Scott Page, Rafe Sagarin, and Michael Sandel made us see things in new ways. We may not have followed their counsel fully but we always benefited from it greatly.
Our friends in the world of politics and ideas were also enormously helpful. Rob Stein has been a great mentor to us both. He and Jabe Blumenthal, Bob Borosage, Bill Budinger, Jon Cowan, Alan Durning, Ed Lazowska, Tara McGuinness, Jen Palmieri, Andy Rich, Jeremy Rosner, and Michael Tomasky sharpened our thinking and were all wonderfully critical of our early drafts.
Our amazing designer Deborah Brown not only shaped the look and feel of this book but also suggested its title! Our flexible and adept publisher at Sasquatch Books, Gary Luke, made publication a breeze. Both were our partners in
The True Patriot
, which preceded this book, and we’re grateful the partnership continues.
The True Patriot
, which preceded this book, and we’re grateful the partnership continues.
Finally, to Leslie Hanauer and Jena Cane, and to our children, we give deepest appreciation for putting up with our constant antics with great patience and love.
READING LIST
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED in exploring the ideas in this book more deeply, here are some of the books that influenced our thinking a great deal. Please also visit our website:
GardensofDemocracy.com
.
GardensofDemocracy.com
.
The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It
, Joshua Cooper Ramo (Back Bay Books, 2010)
, Joshua Cooper Ramo (Back Bay Books, 2010)
Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America
, Alan Khazei (PublicAffairs, 2010)
, Alan Khazei (PublicAffairs, 2010)
Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
, Dacher Keltner (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009)
, Dacher Keltner (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009)
The Case for Big Government
, Jeff Madrick (Princeton University Press, 2010)
, Jeff Madrick (Princeton University Press, 2010)
Chaos: Making a New Science
, James Gleick (Penguin, 2008)
, James Gleick (Penguin, 2008)
Common as Air: Revolution, Art, and Ownership
, Lewis Hyde (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010)
, Lewis Hyde (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010)
Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life
, John H. Miller and Scott E. Page (Princeton University Press, 2007)
, John H. Miller and Scott E. Page (Princeton University Press, 2007)
Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives—How Your Friends’ Friends’ Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do
, Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler (Back Bay Books, 2011)
, Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler (Back Bay Books, 2011)
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
, Bill McKibben (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2008)
, Bill McKibben (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2008)
Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity
, John Gribbin (Random House, 2005)
, John Gribbin (Random House, 2005)
Democracy’s Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy
, Michael J. Sandel (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998)
, Michael J. Sandel (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998)
Diversity and Complexity
, Scott E. Page (Princeton University Press, 2010)
, Scott E. Page (Princeton University Press, 2010)
Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action
, Elinor Ostrom (Cambridge University Press, 1990)
, Elinor Ostrom (Cambridge University Press, 1990)
Growing Public: Volume 1, The Story: Social Spending and Economic Growth Since the Eighteenth Century
, Peter H. Lindert (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
, Peter H. Lindert (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities
, John Cassidy (Picador, 2010)
, John Cassidy (Picador, 2010)
Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence
, Garry Wills (Mariner Books, 2002)
, Garry Wills (Mariner Books, 2002)
Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America’s Founding Ideas (America: A Cultural History)
, David Hackett Fischer (Oxford University Press, USA, 2004)
, David Hackett Fischer (Oxford University Press, USA, 2004)
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means
, Albert-László Barabási (Plume, 2003)
, Albert-László Barabási (Plume, 2003)
The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups
, Mancur Olson (Harvard University Press, 1971)
, Mancur Olson (Harvard University Press, 1971)
Moral Sentiments and Material Interests: The Foundations of Cooperation in Economic Life
, Herbert Gintis, Samuel Bowles, Robert Boyd, and Ernst Fehr, editors (The MIT Press, 2006)
, Herbert Gintis, Samuel Bowles, Robert Boyd, and Ernst Fehr, editors (The MIT Press, 2006)
The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves
, W. Brian Arthur (Free Press, 2009)
, W. Brian Arthur (Free Press, 2009)
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
, Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein (Penguin, 2009)
, Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein (Penguin, 2009)
The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics
, Eric D. Beinhocker (Harvard Business School Press, 2006)
, Eric D. Beinhocker (Harvard Business School Press, 2006)
The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
, Francis Fukuyama (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011)
, Francis Fukuyama (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011)
The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics
, Riane Tennenhaus Eisler (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008)
, Riane Tennenhaus Eisler (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008)
Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost—And How It Can Find Its Way Back
, Mickey Edwards (Oxford University Press, 2008)
, Mickey Edwards (Oxford University Press, 2008)
Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
, James C. Scott (Yale University Press, 1999)
, James C. Scott (Yale University Press, 1999)
Self-Rule: A Cultural History of American Democracy
, Robert H. Wiebe (University Of Chicago Press, 1996)
, Robert H. Wiebe (University Of Chicago Press, 1996)
The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
, David Brooks (Random House, 2011)
, David Brooks (Random House, 2011)
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
, Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson (Bloomsbury Press, 2011)
, Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson (Bloomsbury Press, 2011)
The Theory Of Moral Sentiments
, Adam Smith (Kessinger Publishing, 2004, originally published in 1759)
, Adam Smith (Kessinger Publishing, 2004, originally published in 1759)
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