From the standpoint of contemporary liberalism, the rejection of the formative project is not the deflation but rather the revision of American ideals, a revision in favor of the liberal conception of freedom. According to the republican tradition, freedom depends on self-government, which requires in turn certain qualities of character, certain moral and civic virtues. Liberals object that according government a role in molding the character of its citizens opens the way to coercion and fails to respect persons as free and independent selves, capable of choosing their ends for themselves.
...more
