Democracy

Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities Martha Nussbaum, 2010 Executive Summary Martha Nussbaum’s argument is urgent and unfashionable: the global trend toward profit-driven education (measuring success in economic output, ranking subjects by their market value) is quietly dismantling the capacities that self-governance requires. Critical thinking, historical consciousness, narrative imagination, the ability to see the world from another person’s position: these are not decorative skills. They are the cognitive infrastructure of democracy. The thesis: a nation of technically proficient workers who cannot think critically or empathize across difference is not equipped for self-rule. ...

Corruption at the highest levels of government is not merely a matter of bribery, scandal, or personal disgrace. It is a constitutional danger. When public office becomes a means of private enrichment, partisan revenge, selective enforcement, or protection for the powerful, the damage reaches far beyond the official who abuses power. It teaches citizens that law is negotiable, truth is ornamental, and public service is only another marketplace for influence. ...