Volume 53, Number 9 · May 25, 2006
Progressive but Not Liberal
By Thomas Nagel
Public Philosophy: Essays on Morality in Politics
by Michael J. Sandel
Harvard University Press, 292 pp., $25.95
The political system of the United States manages to contain, under conditions of peace if not civility, a remarkable range of moral, ideological, and religious conflicts. The conflicts are not so severe as those that led to the Civil War, but they are greater than those that divide most European countries—where public opinion occupies a narrower political range, and religion is not an important element. Because of its size and regional differences, and the historical shadow of slavery and the Civil War, the United States is radically divided over issues of war, taxes, welfare, race, religion, abortion, and sex.
Review, 5309 words
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