Toward a better society.....

I thought this was an interesting article.  Something merely talked about in politics but certainly doesn't mean it's not critical to the discussion.

snip:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/20/just-society-civic-virtues

"Today, most of our political arguments revolve around welfare and freedom – increasing economic output and respecting people's rights. But a just society requires something more: reasoning together about the meaning of the good life. Whether we're arguing about financial bailouts and bankers' bonuses, or the growing gap between rich and poor, or how to contend with the environmental costs of economic growth, questions of justice are bound up with competing notions of civic virtue and the common good.

In 2008, Barack Obama tapped Americans' hunger for a public life of larger purpose and articulated a politics of moral and spiritual aspiration. During the first year of his presidency, however, he has found it difficult to translate this politics of aspiration into governance. So, as frustration with politics builds on both sides of the Atlantic, it is worth asking what a new politics of the common good might look like. Here are four possible themes:  Citizenship, sacrifice and service, The moral limits of markets, Inequality, solidarity, civic virtue, A politics of moral engagement.

If you click on the link it will further explain what each of the themes cover.