The Soul of Civil Society: Voluntary Associations and the Public Value of Moral Habits

Americans care about the public value of moral habits. They like to see virtue rewarded and vice censured, appealing as this does to the nation's deep sense that one's success rests neither in money nor in power but in one's civility. In The Soul of Civil Society Don Eberly and Ryan Streeter look beyond such abstractions as the 'voluntary sector' and superficial communitarian solutions to civic anomie to identify the pivotal role played by local voluntary associations in a civil society. Not only important for the services they provide, these 'little platoons, ' as Edmund Burke labeled them, are the public incubators of a 'new' morality, their emphasis on civic engagement at the local level central to preserving America's democratic culture on the national and international stage. More than simply championing the promise of a social renaissance, The Soul of Civil Society is essential reading for those seeking to do battle with a culturally entrenched individualism that threatens the core of America's moral vitality

Don Eberly is the founder of several nationally recognized civic organizations, including the Civil Society Project and the National Fatherhood Initiative, and has authored, coauthored, or edited seven books, including The Essential Civil Society Reader: The Classic Essays and The Content of America’s Character: The Recovery of Civic Virtue. He has worked for two presidents in more than a decade’s service in top policy positions, most recently as Deputy Assistant to the President and the first Deputy Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Ryan Streeter has served as Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute and has worked on local and federal government initiatives to strengthen the role of civil society in America. He is the author of Transforming Charity: Toward a Results-Oriented Social Sector.