"Integrity" -- all of us are in favor of it, but nobody seems to know
how to make sure that we get it. From presidential candidates to
crusading journalists to the lords of collegiate sports, everybody
promises to deliver integrity, yet all too often the promises go
unfulfilled.
In this thoughtful book, Stephen Carter, whose 1993 book "The Culture of
Disbelief" changed the way we talk about the role of religion in
American life, turns his critical eye to the mystery of why the virtue
of integrity holds such sway over the American political imagination.
Why do we care more about winning than about playing by the rules? What
are our rules about following the rules? What are our rules about
breaking them? He explains why integrity is first in importance among
the elements of good character, as well as why it is so hard to attain.
By weaving together insights from philosophy, theology, history, and
law, along with examples drawn from current events and a dose of
personal experience, Carter offers a vision of integrity that has
implications for everything from marriage and politics to professional
football. He discusses the difficulties involved in trying to legislate
integrity as well as the possibilities for teaching it.
Like Carter's earlier books, "Integrity" is at once provocative and
witty, sober and inspiring. The first in a trilogy of books on the most
important elements of the character of the good citizen, "Integrity"
presents a frank examination of the national mood and concludes that
unless we find ways to place integrity at the center of both our private
and public lives, the American idea may crumble -- and the greatness of
our democracy along with it.
