Ettinger's book asks many questions about human nature. But liberal education is about more than understanding ourselves. It is also about understanding the foundations of a democratic society and appreciating the responsibilities of citizenship. It is about striking a proper balance between the opportunities for individualism and the demands of community and the common good. A good example of the challenge that social issues present for liberal education is the role and condition of cities.
Most historians argue that cities are the vehicles of culture.
And yet many of our cities today are in a precipitous decline. Much of the social life of urban centers is pathological - in terms of crime, drug addiction, homelessness, and poverty. In many significant ways the wealthy, who might be expected to be a disproportionately effective force for civic good, have withdrawn from the common life of cities, secluding themselves in exclusive suburbs and within gated compounds. These developments are a far cry from the reliance upon private associations for the betterment of the entire community which de Tocqueville noted as one of the distinguishing features of American civic life. They are the result of, and an escalating cause of, the decline of American cities, with serious consequences for the future of our entire society.