Arizona State University: Visiting Scholar To Discuss Tocqueville's Influence On American Democracy

Press release from Arizona State University:

Marcia Paterman Brookey

2022-03-04

Professor Daniel J. Mahoney is one of the country’s most respected scholars on European and American political thought, and in the fall of 2022, Arizona State University students will get a chance to discuss the foundational principles of American democracy through French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville’s work

The CEL 494/598 course, held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:50 to 7:35 p.m. is titled Tocqueville: Problems and Prospects of American Democracy (class #95788) and is offered by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. It is available to students of all majors and units.

French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859).
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“Alexis de Tocqueville is often seen today as the French observer who traveled to America in 1801–32 and praised the country’s institutions and way of life,” Mahoney said.

However, he added, there is another side of Tocqueville that is frequently ignored.

“His writings indicate that he was worried about an emerging democratic world that moved away from the search for truth, and by an individualism that eroded the bonds that connect human beings. He was a friend, but not a flatterer of America, and of democracy more broadly. We very much need his balanced perspective today,” Mahoney said.

In this course, students will learn how the French political thinker saw the American regime, how his writings about America influenced countries around the world, and how Tocqueville’s work can help us reflect on the many challenges and possibilities of modern democratic life today.

Mahoney’s goal is to get students to learn from the past so as to better understand and orient ourselves in the present — that is, as Tocqueville might say, so that we have a better idea of what to hope and fear from our democratic regime and way of life.

Professor Daniel Mahoney

“I look forward to discussing with ASU students how Tocqueville propelled the foundation of American democracy. The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership is becoming a national epicenter for thinking, discussing and educating on American political thought, and it’s such an honor to be invited by Professor Paul Carrese to join the faculty team as a visiting scholar for the fall semester,” Mahoney said.

“Today more than any other time in American history, it is essential to reflect upon our democratic principles, and I can’t think of a better expert than Daniel Mahoney to invite students to this conversation,” said Carrese, director of the school. “We are honored to have him among us in the fall of 2022, and I know students will benefit from their time with him.”

Mahoney is professor emeritus at Assumption University and a senior fellow at RealClear Foundation. He has spent his academic career researching modern democratic societies and liberalism. Among his many books are “The Liberal Political Science of Raymond Aron” (1992); “De Gaulle: Statesmanship, Grandeur, and Modern Democracy” (1996, 2000); “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Ascent from Ideology” (2001); “The Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order” (2011); and the upcoming “The Statesman as Thinker: Portraits of Greatness, Courage, and Moderation,” which will be released on May 10, 2022. He has edited and introduced writings of Raymond Aron, Aurel Kolnai, Bertrand de Jouvenel, Pierre Manent and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. He has also been executive editor of Perspectives on Political Science since 2017.

The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership is an academic unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, combining philosophy, history, economics and political science to examine great ideas and solve contemporary problems. Courses such as Great Ideas in Politics and Ethics; Philosophy, Politics and Economics; Comparative Political Thought; and Globalism, Nationalism and Citizenship prepare students for careers in fields such as business, law, public office, philanthropy, teaching and journalism, among others.

Students in Arizona State University's master's degree programs in urban and environmental planning and sustainability solutions received first and second place in a statewide contest for their innovative ideas to instill confidence and increase ridership within the Valley Metro public transit lines. 

The contest, hosted by the nonprofit Friends of Transit and the Arizona Transit Association, challenged undergraduate and graduate individuals and teams to propose inexpensive and easily implementable ideas for regaining rider confidence and security in the Phoenix metro area after another challenging year of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Valley Metro Ridership Reports, 2021 rider numbers on public transit decreased nearly 60% compared with pre-pandemic levels. 

From left to right: ASU graduate students Lukas Gutierrez, Blanca Chavez, Byran Leyba, Rebeca Rodriguez and Mihir Aranala.
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An ASU team consisting of School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning graduate students Blanca Chavez and Byran Leyba and School of Sustainability graduate students Lukas Gutierrez and Rebeca Rodriguez received the top honor for their rider rewards proposal, titled “Prickly Points Rewards Program.”

“Our idea offers a rider rewards program to instill rider confidence during the pandemic, increase ridership and support local businesses along the line,” said Chavez, who is pursuing a career in transportation planning. “Thinking of creative solutions to mending riders' relationship with transit is crucial right now.” 

The students’ proposal included detailed case studies that evaluated the effectiveness of various transit-related rewards programs and reported promising results. 

“Our team really wanted to put forward a rider confidence proposal that was not only implementable but worked to serve the community as well,” said Chavez. “Incentivizing the use of our public transit system while simultaneously supporting local businesses through a Valley Metro rewards program felt like a great way to respond to regaining rider confidence post-pandemic. Winning first place was a feat that our team was immensely proud of.” 

Additionally, urban and environmental planning student Mihir Aranala took home second place for his transportation innovation proposal. In it, he suggests several efficient solutions that include free mask and wipes dispensers, social distancing stickers and creating displays that communicate the crowding status of transit vehicles based on capacity, among other solutions. 

“Even though public transit is the most vital cog of the machine that is a city, it is severely underfunded in many cities worldwide,” Aranala said. “Coming up with easy, innovative solutions is a humble attempt at contributing to its improvement. A simple, inexpensive solution can end up making many people's lives better.” 

The student teams presented their ideas at the Friends of Transit 20th Annual Conference: Transforming Mobility in front of an audience of local and national experts and industry leaders. The students were then judged by an audience poll based on their ideas and presentation skills.

“It was a privilege and a surreal experience to stand in front of 300-plus experts and industry leaders and present my ideas,” Aranala said. “It motivated me to conduct further research and bolstered my confidence to present my ideas in the forum boldly. The conference gave me much-needed exposure as a young planning student and vastly increased my professional network.”

This press release was produced by Arizona State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.