Tocqueville’s Defense of Aristocratic Literature
Despite making clear in Democracy in America that the instruction of democracy is “the first duty imposed on those who direct society in our day,” Tocqueville says very little in his work about education in the ordinary sense of the word.
Abstract
Despite making clear in Democracy in America that the instruction of democracy is “the first duty imposed on those who direct society in our day,” Tocqueville says very little in his work about education in the ordinary sense of the word. This essay seeks to make up for this reticence by providing a coherent account of Tocqueville’s understanding of education and its function in democratic times. To that end, I look at Tocqueville’s account of (1) the study of Greek and Latin literature, (2) the ideals of literature in democratic times, (3) Plato’s teaching on the human soul, (4) Plato’s teaching on politics as he presents it in the Laws, and (4) the moral virtues depicted in aristocratic literature. I aim to show why Tocqueville regarded aristocratic literature as a critical source of knowledge for statesmen and men of letters seeking to contribute to the instruction of which he speaks.
This chapter was originally published in Regime and Education: A Study in the History of Political Philosophy
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