There Are Really Exercises In A Kind

Parenthood Is A School For Humility. We Can't Choose The Precise Traits Of Our Children, And That Is Morally Important. It Teaches Us What William May, A Theologian Whom I Greatly Admire, Calls "an Openness To The Unbidden."

Democracy Does Not Require Perfect Equality, But It Does Require That Citizens Share In A Common Life.

There's No Necessary Connection Between Maximizing Social Utility Or Economic Wealth And Creating A Flourishing Democracy. The First Does Not Guarantee The Second. The Only Way To Create A Flourishing Democracy Is To Find Ways To Reason Together About The Big Questions, Including Hard Questions About Justice And The Common Good, To Reason Together About These Questions So That We As Citizens Can Decide How To Shape The Forces That Govern Our Lives.

I Think The Reason We Might Hesitate To Pay Cash To Students For Doing Well On Tests Or Getting Good Grades Or Reading Books Is That We Sense That The Monetary Payment Is An Extrinsic Reward.

Whether You're A Libertarian Liberal Or A More Egalitarian Liberal, The Idea Is That Justice Means Being Non-judgmental With Respect To The Preferences People Bring To Public Life.