Democracy & its limits:
Garvey, John
with this approach, but I am doubtful it vatives? No, for that means we are really con- and unity in its own civilization, particu- can succeed. About a hundred years ago ...
...But for those of us whose values are essentially religious, Original and unpublished essays of approximately 2,500-4,000 words should much of what matters to us lies beyond be submitted to the editors of COMMONWEAL...
...The winning essay will receive low citizens, and we are not willing to $1,0(x) and will be published in COMMONWEAL...
...There is a lot of what which may take the form of a scholarly or critical essay or a personal narra- we assume in common that I love and tive, should appeal to the interests of the general educated reader...
...gy or economics, but culture...
...IT'S NOT ENOUGH whose values and interests differ significantly from those of the West...
...The sad with its doctrine of romantic nationalism fact is that governments which are most and secularism versus earlier imperial 4 effective at mobilizing their people are Western, Islamic, and Orthodox cultures...
...It will require an 6) suggests that the and the more recent foiled attempt to effort to identify elements of commonalfundamental sources of conflict during bomb a number of other New York City ity among Western and other civilizaour time will not involve political ideolo- targets-products of what is becoming tions...
...to the West, encouraging international inBut words have a life of their own, and For the present, it seems, we'll just stitutions that "reflect and legitimate Spencer, it turned out, was fighting for a have to sit here like a character from a fairy Western interests and values," limiting the lost verbal cause...
...Democracies ly been lucky...
...From the euphonious Anthea Dove scorn...
...He says that the differences or abortion (objections with which they among them are basic and centuries old...
...Democracies may the way people in damaged families change ways know best...
...o Islamic civilizations," while exploiting the differences and conflicts between them...
...Some of this could be seriously disOF SEVERAL MINDS John Garvey puted, but not here...
...We say the people al- profits interfered with...
...About a hundred years ago servatives, and Republican conservatives larly between its European and North Herbert Spencer and other champions of at that...
...which the democracies justify their aver- don't like sacrifices, or the politicians who Through the invocation of national myths, sion to sacrifice...
...are not required to agree-they should be that as the world becomes smaller and in- expected only not to distort or caricature teractions among people increase, the 0 them) does not offer us reason to be conawareness of these differences will inten- fident that we will see any sensitivity to sify...
...eracy that is almost as ignorant of that the world has moved beyond the old Huntington makes a number of sugges- Christianity (certainly in its historical dicold-war categories...
...What concerns me is Huntington's belief that the West "will have to accommodate to these nonWestern modern civilizations, whose DEMOCRACY & ITS LIMITS power approaches that of the West but IT'S WONDERFUL...
...say that democracies never fight other about bad possibilities in the future...
...One of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s objections to Solzhenitsyn's address at The Friars of Atonement announce the fourth annual Graymoor Prize, to be Harvard was that Solzhenitsyn spoke as awarded to the best essay on any aspect of ecumenical or interreligious affairs...
...sad eventuality...
...Christina Stead wrote a chilling novel, The Man Who Lcn%ed Children, about a determinedly optimistic father who is in fact monstrous...
...Announcement of Prize: December 17, 1993...
...It is entirethe subject when the horrid father comes "The fact is that democracies compete ly possible that until now they have mereup: "There are certain complacencies by badly with despotisms...
...The prize is intended to encourage and support new ecumeni- sumptions of most educated people in cal and interreligious ideas and perspectives...
...And it could future...
...but, like indoor plumbing or vaccination, it is not close COMMONWEAL 15 Dutch Street, New York, NY 10038 to being an adequate guide for understanding life...
...We news...
...who will make the final decision what we assume in common with our felfollowing consultation with a panel of experts...
...The capitalization Our previous winners have reported from England, Wales, Jerusalem, Eisenach, of the word was a sign of Schlesinger's Germany, and Chicago, among other places...
...This has been demonstrated, he also be argued that the argument was, in says, in Yugoslavia, where action to halt some sense, about culture all along-the aggression would be risky, dangerous, culture of the post-Enlightenment West 0 and would therefore be unpopular...
...Democracies don't want to think tive) means...
...All other essays will he returned to their authors after January 1. cination, is wonderful...
...1993) to the exotic Ty Marn Duw Community (1992) to the formidable Ed To speak, as Huntington does, of "the Marc iniak (1991), Graymoor winners have written about the difficulties as well West" usually means to speak of the secas the satisfactions, the personal as well as the theological dimensions of ecu- ular, post-Enlightenment, democratic asmenical work...
...not win out in the long term...
...the cold war has proved when a gun is not pointed at their heads...
...Democracies are no good past grievances, and the hope of future democracies are virtuous they will always at looking after their security interests glory they stir up support, with the help win out in the end...
...This essay will become the property of the Graymoor Ecumenical democracy, like indoor plumbing or vacInstitute...
...Huntington identi- tions: the West should see to its own in- mension) as it is of Judaism, Islam, Buddfies these as "Western, Confucian, terests by "promoting greater cooperation hism, or Hinduism...
...There is a facet of democracy which reminds me of that man, and Pfaff hints at it...
...We say that because the demand them...
...those religious values, it doesn't matter, or matters less than what we do share...
...We say that awkward as the system may Democracies don't like to listen to bad and other nondemocratic (but very effec- seem it is still better than all the rest...
...From the start, the Enlightenment ignored so much of what being human is about, and the heirs of the Enlightenment carry on as if all of those dark and difficult things could still be ignored or dealt with as if they were peripheral to what really matters-the marketplace of acceptable ideas, the seeking out of the least difficult way to proceed, the willingness to put aside anything that could possibly disrupt the orderly conduct of business, the pursuit of happiness (not clarity or THE GRAYMOOR PRIZE truth...
...that local identities erode because of Islamic or Orthodox or Hindu concerns, economic and social change, and religion or any real understanding of them...
...No, for that means we are really con- and unity in its own civilization, particucan succeed...
...would not want to lose...
...moves in to fill the void...
...There is, first of all, the astonishing actions between the "seven or eight major idea that the basic differences do exist at religious illiteracy of the West-an illitcivilizations" will shape the future, now this level...
...It is cer- underlying other civilizations and the fairs (excerpted in the tainly tempting to look at something like ways in which people in those civilizaA% New York Times, June the bombing of the World Trade Towers tions see their interests...
...This will require the West to develop a much more profound understanding of the basic ren essay in the summer But this doesn't really change the central ligious and philosophical assumptions issue of Foreign Af- thesis, which is probably correct...
...The inability of the Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, New York Times's editorialists to underLatin American, and possibly African civ- stand religious objections to euthanasia ilizations...
...The author, known, too simply, as "Islamic funda- If this is what we need, we are in trouSamuel P. Huntington, argues that inter- mentalism"-and see confirmation of the ble...
...We Deadline: October 1, 1993...
...of censorship, the suppression of dissent, it...
...those headed by people like Slobodan Commonweal 13 August 1993: 9 Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, and Hitler...
...DeHere Pfaff says something crucial, and democracies, and the world is getting mocracies don't want their comfort or so obvious that we ignore it constantly, more democratic...
...tale, waiting for some angelic spirit to re- military expansion of "Confucian and Or shall we admit that we are neoconser- veal to us our true name...
...The award-winning submission, industrial societies...
...In the July 15 New York Review of Some of this can be questioned: self- Books, William Pfaff writes of "a fundaconsciousness about civilization and mental inability of governments responculture itself is a relatively modern phe- sive to popular opinion to deal with nomenon, for instance, at least where it problems whose consequences lie in the takes a nationalist form...
...if he knew the Truth...
...The editors reserve the right to assume that because we do not share select more than one winner or not to award the prize at all...
...The will begin to be a little closer to collecprize-winning essay will be published in COMMONWEAL'S January 14, 1994, tive health when we begin to see that issue...
...Most of us are still not ready to turn American components," bringing into its laissez-faire argued, with good reason, Republican, and we hope that the grace of orbit those Eastern European and Latin that they were the true liberals and that final perseverance will keep us from that American cultures whose values are close the new welfare state liberals were traitors...
...1 10: 13 August 1993 Commonweal...
Vol. 120 • August 1993 • No. 14
