Includes bibliographical references (p. [133]-155) and index.
On the problem of reconciling democracy and excellence / Neil Riemer -- Thucydides : democracy and chaos / Glenn Tinder -- Equality and excellence in American religion / Edward LeRoy Long, Jr. -- Minstrels, kings, and citizens : Mark Twain's political thought / Wilson Carey McWilliams -- Ordinary virtue / Patrick J. Deneen -- The search for a competent public : the Hutchins Commission and post-World War II democratic possibilities / Brett Gary -- Democratic excellence and amibition in American politics : a study of Tocqueville and Franklin Delano Roosevelt / Jeffrey Becker -- The dangerous allure of excellence / Joseph Romance.