I am certainly no philosopher. In fact, while I was in university working toward my undergraduate degree I found philosophy far to awkward and was “forced”
to abandon it altogether; I thought it best to tackel it later in life when I was somewhat more experienced and perhaps more able.
In The World We Want, University of Toronto philosopher Mark Kingwell explores the idea of citizenship. I don’t think Kingwell is being an alarmist when he
says that “citizenship is a role now in danger of losing its privileged position in human life….” Our collective withdrawl from the political system and our
unbridled indulgence in consumerism has left us isolated from one another. Abdicating our duties to each other, argues Kingwell, we have now surrendered
social and political life to those who are ambitious or those who are cynical.
What has been lost (or perhaps never really achieved) is a kind of citizenship grounded in an active participation in the kinds of conversations that make
a just society possible. As difficult and as painful as these conversations may be to have, suggests Kingwell, they are essential if we are to ever nurture
a just and civil society into existence.
“Citizenship, like friendship, is a fragile combination of opportunity, commitment, and constantly renewed regard. Without it, we are not fully human, not
fully ourselves.” We must constantly practice tolerance, respect, and self-reflection if the just and civil society we so desperately need is to be created.
Of course, and as Kingwell demonstrates, this all goes beyond contemporary Liberal and Conservative politics (and economics); a civil society characterized
by participation and respectful dialogue, all the while grounded in the virtues of tolerance, respect, and self reflection, is what is required if
contemporary politics and economics are to survive.
Kingwell’s book is fascinating, yet demands a lot of the novice philosopher. There are plenty of references to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to remind one
that the ideas presented within are both ancient history and vital to our future at the same time. I have, undoubtedly, done a poor job capturing the
essence of Kingwell’s book here; but then again, the depth of his ideas has that very effect. Although
Dreams Of The Millennium
, Kingwell’s second book, remains my
favourite to date, The World We Want might just be his most important literary contribution.
