ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: A PECULIAR FAITH : NAVIGATING ROUSSEAU’S ROAD TO DEMOCRATIC VIRTUE Joshua Karant, Ph.D., 2004 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Benjamin R. Barber, Department of Government and Politics The relationship b etween religion and politics poses a pressing—and oftentimes combustible —problem for contemporary democracies. The terror of September 11th , global suicide bombings, and attacks on America’s abortion clinics illustrate the imminent dangers of political protest driven by fanatical faith. But authors such as Machiavelli, Tocqueville and, more recently, William Galston and Manning Marable suggest something different. Religion, they argue, cultivates virtue amongst citizens and must be incorporated into the pluralist fold. These dissonant conclusions underscore the difficulty of navigating the tension between spiritual and secular values. Does religion subvert liberal democratic principles of neutrality and equality under law, or does it offer an essential f oundation for secular virtue? If religion provides a moral compass compatible with democracy, do religious systems inevitably undermine open, participatory politics? If so, how might we cultivate political virtue without compromising strong citizenship? For Jean -Jacques Rousseau, the answer lies in Civil Religion, a model wherein spiritual virtue and religious piety uphold political liberty and strong citizenship. Does Rousseau ask too much? Does he attempt to marry irreconcilable partners, or is his vision practicable and persuasive? Adopting the divisive relationship between religion and politics as its central concern, A Peculiar Faith examines Rousseau’s secular theology as a means of confronting this contentious and still -relevant dilemma. A PECULIAR FAITH : NAVIGATING ROUSSEAU’S ROAD TO DEMOCRATIC VIRTUE By Joshua Karant Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for th e degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2004 Advisory Committee: Professor Benjamin R. Barber, Chair Professor Charles E. Butterworth Professor William A. Galston Professor James E. Miller Professor Vladimir Tismaneanu © Copyright by Joshua Karant 2004 ii Dedication To Luka and Jan. iii Acknowledgements The sentences you are about to read are mine, but they would not have been written without the guidance and support of colleagues, friends and family. First and foremost, I owe tremendous gratitude to Benjamin R. Barber. I first met Dr. Barber in a Rousseau seminar at Rutgers University . When he accepted an offer to join the faculty at the University of Maryland, he graciously suggested that I accompany him. What, at the time, seemed a potentially brash gamble proved, in hindsight, to be the most significant decision of my academic career. I cannot thank Barber enough for his contributions to my personal and professional development, his generosity in funding my interests and supporting me at every turn, and his role as an educator, mentor and friend. I am as grateful for his warmth, insight, and encouragement, as I am for the passion with which he challenged, provoked, confronted and tested me . The work at hand is a testament to, and reflection of, our relationship. If Barber was my fountainhead, several prepared me for his tutelage. My path to political theory began at Pomona College, and the blame (as it were) rests largely on the shoulders of John Seer y. To this day, Seery remains a gadfly, a confidant, a compatriot, and one of the most influential professors with whom I have had the pleasure of studying. The same holds true for James Miller and Richard Shusterman. I happened across Miller’s Passion of Michel Foucault while living in Oahu, and made the fruitful pilgrimage to New York to work with him a t the New School. His commitment to my intellectual growth never wavered (even when I did), and I was fortunate to have benefited from his affection, e rudition, scholarly rigor, and utter iv lack of artifice. He taught me how to approach texts critically but independently, with a disciplined eye for precision that never sacrificed creativity. Shusterman proved a particularly empathetic ally as well . Sensitive to my interests, strengths and weaknesses alike, he treated me as an equal and exposed me to an art of life towards which I continue to humbly, and hopefully, aspire. It is barely possible to list every person who influenced and assisted me during my academic training, but several others warrant especial acknowledgment. Wilson Car ey McWilliams’ wisdom and warmth provided great inspiration, solace , and guidance both during and well beyond my tenure at Rutgers . And at the University of Maryland, I was fortunate to have worked with William Galston and Vladimir Tismaneanu. Galston’s decency, attentiveness, sound judgment, and remarkably fluid mind made the move to College Park wholly worthwhile. Tismaneanu likewise graced me with his generous spirit, c ritical acuity, and wonderfully provocative reading of Rousseau . Along with the accomplished and estimable Charles Butterworth, and Barber and Miller, they formed a committee invaluable in realizing and honing the vision that guided this work . I am also g rateful for the feedback and critique I received from friends and colleagues alike, including Derek Barker, Isabelle V. Barker, Sharon E. Goldman, Bryan McGraw, Philip Spivey, and Matthew Voorhees. Charles Kim also merits special recognition. Kim took si gnificant time from his own research on Korean history to provide as close, thoughtful and thorough a reading of early drafts as any I received. v In addition, this work would not have been possible without support from the Democracy Collaborative. The Coll aborative went above and beyond the call of duty in ensuring my sustained and generous funding as a Research Fellow, providing the framework and autonomy to pursue my own scholarly interests while simultaneously realizing projects on global citizenship and civic education. Finally, these acknowledgments would be woefully incomplete without a recognition of Janet Austin. Harboring a graduate student is no mean feat , particularly in my case. At times I would have been hard -pressed to find my way out of a paper bag, let alone write a coherent work. Yet throughout it all, Janet provided not merely encouragement and affection, but also grounding, focus, strength, and the wellsprings of her tremendous organizational skills. When I drifted off into sermons on the Pelagian heresy, she reminded me of the task at hand; when I suggested fleeing to Paris, she kept me at my computer in Brooklyn, plugging ahead; and whenever the goal seemed beyond my capacities, she insisted otherwise. It is with love and admiration that I dedicate A Peculiar Faith to her. Brooklyn, New York November 8, 2004 vi Table of Contents Dedication..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... vi Note on Translation..................................................................................................... vii List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................viii Introduction................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Strained Relations ..................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2: The Virtue of P aradox............................................................................... 35 Chapter 3: A Claim of Innocence ............................................................................... 86 Chapter 4: The Reluctant Recluse ............................................................................ 150 Chapter 5: Church and State ..................................................................................... 200 Chapter 6: The Road to Vincennes ........................................................................... 247 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 269 vii Note on Translation Rather than recreating the wheel, and for the sake of consistency, translations of Rousseau’s works are largely based upon the wonderful University Press of New England series, The Collected Writings of Rousseau. I have only occasionally found need to make corrections (based upon the Pléiade edition), or draw attention to nuances particular to the French language. All other translations are mine, unless noted. viii List of Abbreviations In French OC Oeuvres complè tes, tomes 1-5. Bernard Gagnebin and Marcel Raymond, eds. (Paris: Éditions Gallimard/Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 1959-1995). CC Correspondance complète de Jean-Jacques Rousseau, R.A. Leigh, ed. (Genève: Institut et Museé Voltaire, 1965— ) In Translati on CW The Collected Writings of Rousseau, Vols. 1-10. Roger D. Masters and Christopher Kelly, eds. (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1990-2004). E Emile, or On Education, Allan Bloom, tr. (New York: Basic Books, 1979). 1 Introduction Rousseau touched the hearts of a great many people who felt the author spoke directly to them. 1 Yet the reputation of his works