Do democracies need values? The question seems absurd in the light of photographs of American soldiers torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. But the fact is that the advance of democracy historically entailed the erosion of shared values and the rise of individual autonomy. It presupposed moral agnosticism and a plurality of meanings, none of which are sacred or compulsory to all.
Do democracies need values? The question seems absurd in the light of photographs of American soldiers torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. But the fact is that the advance of democracy historically entailed the erosion of shared values and the rise of individual autonomy. It presupposed moral agnosticism and a plurality of meanings, none of which are sacred or compulsory to all.