DEMOCRACY AT CENTURY END - THE SOCIAL-SERVICE-REVIEW LECTURE

There is in the disintegration of society's social fabric a threat to democracy As associations and civic bodies that serve as intermediarie s between citizens and government diminish, individuals find themselve s isolated and exposed. Into this vacuum moves a top-heavy administrat ive state or, possibly more relevant today, an undiluted, market-drive n consumerism. Aiding this disintegration are two trends: a move towar d juridical politics and a move toward an electronic plebiscitary demo cracy. The former emphasizes the adversarial nature of politics at the expense of deliberation. The latter reduces voters to angry instrumen ts articulating the unadorned people's will. Compounding these trends is Americans' desire to have community without authority. To forestall this decline, we must accept the discipline and commitment to others necessary to sustain the community institutions that uphold democratic life.