Wednesday Wisdom

WHO

Alexis de Tocqueville, an influential 19th-century French political thinker, ethical philosopher and historian, while relatively unknown, he may have written the most inciteful book on democracy. He was born in Paris to an aristocratic family and grew up during the tumultuous years following the French Revolution. Both of his parents were jailed during the “reign of terror” in France and only were saved from the guillotine by the end of Robespierre’s power. The French revolution and his families plight left an indelible effect on his thinking and on politics.

After attending college in Metz, France, Tocqueville studied law and became a magistrate. His interest in politics and society led him to travel to the United States in1831 with his friend Gustave de Beaumont. Initially, their mission was to study the American prison system, but Tocqueville broadened his focus to analyze American democracy, society, and institutions. He later served in the French Chamber of Deputies and briefly as Foreign Minister during the Second Republic (1849). However, he withdrew from politics after Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s 1851 coup.

What he is known for

Tocqueville travelled to the United States in 1831 landing in Rhode Island. Along with de Beaumont, they traveled across the country for 9 months from Rhode Island to New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his books Democracy in America (1835, 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In his second book he analyzes the causes of the French Revolution, arguing that while it sought to destroy the old aristocratic order, it paradoxically continued centralizing power in the state.

His observations traveling across the United States formed the foundation of Democracy in America, first written in 1935 and revised and amended second volume in 1940. He was a student of observation and a persistent note taker. His book is a seminal work that explored the strengths and weaknesses of democratic governance, the role of civil society, and the dangers of tyranny of the majority.

Tocqueville stressed that America’s democratic strength lay in its local and civic governance while warning that in democratic societies, individualism could lead to a detachment from civic duties and an erosion of social bonds. While he inwardly struggled with his Catholic faith that scholars describe as with an “Aristocratic, Jansenist and Pascalian bent” *, Tocqueville cites religion as being important for a healthy democracy. However, he is quick to point out a crucial difference between America and European societies is in the separation of church and state.

As “Democracy in America” revealed, Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political and social idea of his era, and he thought that the United States offered the most advanced example of equality in action. He was a student of the French enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu who had a huge impact on the founding fathers of America. In his book “Spirit of Laws” published in 1748, Montesquieu writes “All men a born equal”. Thomas Jefferson used a similar phrase in the Declaration of Independence when he wrote “All men were created equal”. Traveling the country, he was struck by the hypocrisy of slavery and treatment of native Americans.

He admired American individualism but also warned that a society of individuals can easily become atomized and paradoxically uniform when “every citizen, being assimilated to all the rest, is lost in the crowd.” In his book he coined the term “soft despotism” which he describes as an illusion of control for the citizens when they have little influence. He intuitively recognized that in times of disillusionment or economic hardship, populist leaders could exploit individual desires for personal success and power.

Tocqueville observed that in democracies, people often become disillusioned with political institutions, leading to the growth of anti-establishment sentiments. Tocqueville noted that in democratic systems, the majority could sometimes become oppressive, not through laws but through societal pressure. Largely influenced by the “French Revolution and “The Reign of Terror”, he cites how the “tyranny of the majority” could stifle dissenting opinions and give rise to leaders who claim to represent the will of the people. An appeal to a large segment of voters who felt marginalized by the political establishment could be interpreted as a reaction against a perceived cultural or political elitism, something Tocqueville saw as a form of this majority-driven dynamics.

2025- Is his commentary still viable?

“Democracy in America” remains widely read and even more widely quoted by politicians, philosophers, historians and anyone seeking to understand the American character. Tocqueville has often been called “the unnamed historian” because he is so often quoted but hardly ever cited.

Tocqueville’s works shaped 19th-century discussions of liberalism and equality and were rediscovered in the 20th century by historians and sociologists. More importantly it was a seminal book in understanding the difference in American thinking to their European cousins and why democracy flourished in America.

Tocqueville praised the success of America democracy for its spirit of freedom and virtue; however, he is quick to point out that democracy was inherently fragile, vulnerable to demagogues who could manipulate public opinion and undermine democratic norms.

Tocqueville wrote about America individualism saying, “ a mature calm feeling which disposes each member of the community to sever himself from the mass of fellow creatures”. Tocqueville saw individualism as a natural tendency in democracy but warned that if unchecked, it could lead to social fragmentation and make people more susceptible to despotism. He seems to understand that the American rugged individualism could be seen as both a blessing and a curse.

A quote, often cited by politicians and attributed to Tocqueville, captures his underlying view “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”

*Aristocratic, Jansenist and Pascalian bent- generally speaking means believes in God and the teachings of the church but not necessarily the institutions or the tenets of suffering

And now you know:

Thank you, Dad, for the gift of curiosity.

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.