A Brief History of Civic Virtue

One of the elements of classical and Christian thought which is rather in need of restoration today is the concept of civic virtue. In “A Brief History of Civic Virtue,” Veritas humanities and classics teacher Rick Trumbo traces the idea of civic virtue from its origins in Greco- Roman republicanism through its Medieval and Renaissance development into what Alexis de Tocqueville called the American notion of “enlightened self-interest.” The workshop will provide documents and discussion topics for teachers of ancient, Medieval, and early American history and teachers of government as an aid to helping Classical Christian schools recover this often-neglected element of moral philosophy.