This inquiry is aimed at discussing an acceptable terrain of continuity between ethics and politics with regard to the position of the citizens of different EU demoi. Political weaknesses of EU institutions are well known but the recent Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated a trend of member states to decide separately on urgent questions, without a common perspective. Taking suggestions from Richard Bellamy’s recent proposal of an EU republic of demoi, cooperating together, I insist on the necessity of a model of European citizen able to act from within EU political institutions: one who would take care of their own flourishing while considering the well-functioning of EU political institutions as their goal, to promote through duties and civic virtues. I propose a Republican conception based on the idea of ‘the reasonable citizen’ that defines a view of ‘thick citizenship’ in opposition to the liberal view of citizenship as rights, described as ‘thin citizenship’. The former is put forward as a normative model that can enhance the strength and cohesion of EU citizenship. It is important to emphasise how the view of the reasonable citizen emphasises the public role of the EU citizen, while not detracting from their private reasons for flourishing. The last step of my discussion is meant to bring back the reasonable citizen to the level of politics, deploying Bellamy’s idea of dialogue among EU demoi and transforming it in a dialogue among reasonable citizens belonging to different member states who bring to the discussion local specificities and remain close to each national people’s sensibilities. Channels of discussion should run parallel to the institutional ones of politics, though with a view to influencing the latter. Continuity between ethics and politics within the EU would, thus, both entail political moves for the availability of resources for individual flourishing – such as the ESM and the EPSR – but also the commitment of reasonable citizens through playing out their duties and civic virtues to the well-functioning of EU political institutions. At this last juncture it is important to protect the specificities of different EU demoi by considering the model of reasonable citizens as composed of different subjects who discuss and communicate among them and with the institutions in order to achieve the best politics.
THE REASONABLE CITIZEN: A MODEL FOR BRIDGING ETHICS AND POLITICS IN THE EU
MIchele Mangini
2023-01-01
Abstract
This inquiry is aimed at discussing an acceptable terrain of continuity between ethics and politics with regard to the position of the citizens of different EU demoi. Political weaknesses of EU institutions are well known but the recent Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated a trend of member states to decide separately on urgent questions, without a common perspective. Taking suggestions from Richard Bellamy’s recent proposal of an EU republic of demoi, cooperating together, I insist on the necessity of a model of European citizen able to act from within EU political institutions: one who would take care of their own flourishing while considering the well-functioning of EU political institutions as their goal, to promote through duties and civic virtues. I propose a Republican conception based on the idea of ‘the reasonable citizen’ that defines a view of ‘thick citizenship’ in opposition to the liberal view of citizenship as rights, described as ‘thin citizenship’. The former is put forward as a normative model that can enhance the strength and cohesion of EU citizenship. It is important to emphasise how the view of the reasonable citizen emphasises the public role of the EU citizen, while not detracting from their private reasons for flourishing. The last step of my discussion is meant to bring back the reasonable citizen to the level of politics, deploying Bellamy’s idea of dialogue among EU demoi and transforming it in a dialogue among reasonable citizens belonging to different member states who bring to the discussion local specificities and remain close to each national people’s sensibilities. Channels of discussion should run parallel to the institutional ones of politics, though with a view to influencing the latter. Continuity between ethics and politics within the EU would, thus, both entail political moves for the availability of resources for individual flourishing – such as the ESM and the EPSR – but also the commitment of reasonable citizens through playing out their duties and civic virtues to the well-functioning of EU political institutions. At this last juncture it is important to protect the specificities of different EU demoi by considering the model of reasonable citizens as composed of different subjects who discuss and communicate among them and with the institutions in order to achieve the best politics.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
