Alexis de Tocqueville, Philosopher of Civil Society: An Interview with Brian Smith

For many political and social thinkers, the work Alexis de Tocqueville on the nature and significance of civil society provides fertile soil for envisioning and articulating a philosophy of human flourishing under the conditions of ordered freedom. In this interview, Professor Brian Smith provides a helpful overview of Tocqueville’s anthropology, his view of intermediary institutions and their significance in a humane social order, the challenge of the democratic notion of equality and how Tocqueville addresses the problem of despotism. Christians working on issues in philosophical anthropology should attend to this work with earnestness as they seek to envision the social implications of such an anthropology toward a free and virtuous society.

To read the full-text of this interview, please click here.