There is also a sense of justice in each citizen that, through their individual means of contributing, is doled out. Most of the citizens in each of these categories feel that their particular way of “getting invol

In his writings about American life, Toqueville explained that “individuals are expected to get involved” (167). He believed that individuals choose for themselves how to get involved and that that constitutes a self-interest. He went on to say that when an individual gets involved for self-interest purposes, they then gain a sense of responsibility for their community (168).

The Civic-Minded Professional is far more lax in his or her definitions of what is right and wrong, and how one should go about getting involved. Where the concerned citizen “sees evil and corruption”, the civic-minded professional “sees differences in values, interests and opinion” (187). The civic-minded professional seeks to educate his or her community. She or he is a firm believer two things. One, that public good is not to be defined rigidly as good or bad; one must accept that people are different, and that each person must have different goals and values. People must accept others for what they desire and not make judgments on them. Two, “individuals can know their long-term interests in today’s complex world only by careful research into the consequences of different courses of action” (188). This meaning that individuals must educate themselves and each other so that rational and informed decisions can be made with everyone’s best interest at heart. This is the justice that the civic-minded professional wants for his or her community - that everyone receive an equal opportunity and fairness in not being judged, but in allowing each other to contribute in a way that everyone can benefit.

The Professional Activist is far less optimistic than the civic minded professional (190). The professional activist believes that there is a fundamental difference in all people, and that this makes it virtually impossible to negotiate compromise in which everyone gets what they want (190). The professional activist also be

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