Also relevant to this discussion of history in Toqueville is what he says about determinism in the conclusion of DIA- that those who would consign democracy as necessarily doomed to soft despotism are pusillanimous. We always have agency and free will, and are not determined to go down the path history would tell us we are pointed toward
Thanks Dr. Wolfe, appreciate the comment. That's a great point, and I hope to build on this idea of agency. I think you could rework the classical concept of teaching man to be liberal (free) and self-mastered as a counter to this fear of pusillanimous soft-despotism.
Also relevant to this discussion of history in Toqueville is what he says about determinism in the conclusion of DIA- that those who would consign democracy as necessarily doomed to soft despotism are pusillanimous. We always have agency and free will, and are not determined to go down the path history would tell us we are pointed toward
Thanks Dr. Wolfe, appreciate the comment. That's a great point, and I hope to build on this idea of agency. I think you could rework the classical concept of teaching man to be liberal (free) and self-mastered as a counter to this fear of pusillanimous soft-despotism.