Our civic life is not going very well. Public discourse is a foul brew of insult, outrage, and tired talking points. Politicians shout past each other without really listening. Fierce partisanship is nothing new; but today, political rancour seeps into social relations and everyday life. Parents now worry less about their children marrying outside the faith than marrying across party lines.
The renowned political philosopher Michael J. Sandel has a solution. Our democracy is in danger for two reasons, he argues. One is the authoritarian ambition of our governments. The other is the failure of opponents to offer a compelling response to the grievances that propelled them to power and that continue to sustain their support.
In Renewal, Sandel offers an agenda for change to deliver us from our dangerous political moment. With characteristic clarity and resonance, he calls for a new politics of the common good: an economic populism that challenges unaccountable power and inequalities of wealth, voice, and dignity, and a project of moral and civic renewal that speaks convincingly of patriotism, community, and belonging.
Clearheaded and practical yet conceptually rich, Renewal seeks to recast the terms of political debate. It is an essential book for our time; a project of renewal for everyone concerned with our polarized condition and the peril it poses for democracy.